Felton Davis III looks poised for a huge senior season

There were some things to be concerned about following Michigan State’s 38-31 victory over Utah State last weekend, but one group that stood out was the wide receivers. One player in particular who stood out to me was Felton Davis III.

Davis finished with only three catches (plus one that was called back), but all three catches were in clutch situations and Davis displayed his gifted athletic ability on each one. Davis ended the day with the aforementioned three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. He also added a nice catch on a two-point conversion.

I think there’s a reason they call him “The Freak.”

Davis’ first catch came on third-down-and-three from the Utah State 34-yard line. He was able to beat the defender and track the ball nicely on a good throw from Brian Lewerke. Davis gained 28 yards and put the Spartans at USU’s six-yard line. MSU eventually got a field goal out of the drive.

The Freak’s next catch went for six points and it was a beauty. On second down with four yards to go, Lewerke was able to evade pressure and throw a 10-yard strike to Davis. Davis ran an excellent route and was able to be more physical than the defensive back while securing the ball and getting a foot down in the end zone.

The third catch was the most clutch, and probably most impressive. Lewerke was once again able to avoid pressure with a nice spin move and floated it to where only Davis could use his length to get it. It was no easy feat, though, as Davis extended and dove for the ball at a pivotal point in the game with MSU down one on the scoreboard. Just an incredible play all the way around. An incompletion there would have brought up a tough third-down-and-seven

...and the vital two-point conversion to put Michigan State up by seven. It was another terrific catch.

While his Week 1 numbers weren’t in high quantity, the quality of play was outstanding. If Davis can continue this sort of effort in 2018, he should be looked at for first-team All-Big Ten honors and be in the mix for Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year.

Davis was selected as preseason first-team All Big-Ten by both Athlon Sports and CollegeFootballNews.com. He is also MSU’s active leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

In terms of the future, Davis has NFL-size at 6-feet-four-inches tall, and 200 pounds. He can go up and get balls. He will surely be playing on Sundays in 2019. In fact, Draft Scout currently ranks him 12th out of 230 receivers — a position that saw 33 players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Lewerke and Davis have great chemistry. Having players like Cody White and Darrell Stewart Jr. line up next to him also helps Davis. So, I think we can safely say — as long as he stays healthy — that Michigan State’s No. 1 wide out is poised to have a big senior campaign.