BROWNS CAMP

Rookie RB Davis looking good

By TONY GROSSI

THE Plain Dealer

BEREA — First player to create a buzz at Browns training camp?

It’s running back James Davis, the last of the team’s eight rookie draft picks this year.

Davis has displayed quick feet, good cutback ability and an aggressive running style. In Monday’s morning practice, he broke two inside runs in team drills. One went for about 50 yards to the end zone.

“I see something real special in him,” said running back Jamal Lewis.

That’s high praise from a member of the NFL 10,000-yard rushing club. But Lewis might be biased. He has taken Davis under his wing. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Atlanta and attended the same high school eight years apart.

When Davis got to Frederick Douglass High School, Lewis held the rushing records with 4,879 yards and 68 touchdowns. Davis obliterated them, rushing for 7,339 yards and 80 touchdowns.

“I always watched him and in high school I used to ask coach, ‘What do I need now to get up there?’ ” Davis said.

Davis, who’s about 35 pounds lighter than Lewis, was the power runner in Clemson’s “Thunder and Lightning” backfield. He won’t run over NFL linebackers, but he looks to have better inside running ability than Jerome Harrison, who is challenging Lewis for more playing time.

Coach Eric Mangini agreed that Davis has opened eyes, but not for the same reasons Lewis cited.

“What I like about him, he’s done it since the day that he got here,” Mangini said. “And he understands the importance of special teams. Multiple drills, he’s the first one down on special teams. That’s what gets you noticed. [And] I like the way he’s competed in pass protection drills. He’s made some real savvy decisions in protection for a young guy. I am happy with him.”

Davis said he’s just trying to earn the coaches’ trust.

“One of the things Coach Mangini talked about is if the coaches don’t get the trust, you don’t get a chance to play. That’s kind of what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Davis probably would have been a much higher pick if he had left Clemson following back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, as he first announced. He changed his mind and returned for his senior season. His rushing figures slumped to 751 yards. A typical season would have left him as Clemson’s all-time leading rusher.

“I was slotted to go between the second and fifth round,” he said. “I went in the sixth. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s all on what you do when you get here. If you prove yourself in this league, you’ll get paid.”