By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Upon the arrival of Antonio Gates in the NFL, the tight end position has evolved into something above and beyond what it used to be.

A position once reserved for big, plodding types who focused on blocking while catching the occasional pass has become a spot for revolutionary athletes that run like wideouts and block like linemen.

Enter Maryland’s Vernon Davis, the top ranked tight end in this year’s draft class and perhaps the most physically impressive tight end to enter the draft, ever.

Davis openly embraces the opportunity to be a part of a new class of tight ends capable of changing the game in a number of ways.

“I feel good about being labeled as the new breed of tight end because that’s what it is,” Davis said. “When you have a guy that can do more than catch the ball and can get extra yards after catching the ball, make guys miss, things like that then that pretty much speaks for itself.”

While that new breed is prevalent in players such as Gates, Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez and New York’s Jeremy Shockey, Davis might actually be in a class by himself.

To wit, Davis is 6-feet-3, 256 pounds, perhaps not the ideal size for a tight end, but still plenty big to hold up. But while Davis’ height and weight might not be perfect, the way he is built is rare. Almost all of his 250-plus pounds is solid muscle and his athleticism reflects that.

In that regard, Davis is a freak of nature of sorts. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the scouting combine and has Maryland records for a tight end in the bench press (460 pounds), vertical jump (40 inches) and the squat (685 pounds).

All of that looks good on paper, but there have been plenty of workout warriors that have gone high in the draft on measurables alone. Davis isn’t one of those players.

After getting few opportunities in his first two seasons, Davis took advantage of his chance to compete against top players to learn the game. Every day in practice, Davis took on San Diego’s star linebacker Shawne Merriman, an experience Davis said directly translated to his breakout junior season.

“Me and Shawne battled every day in practice,” Davis said. “He was one of the biggest competitors I have ever faced, especially in my lifetime. He made me better and I made him better.”

Davis had just five catches as a freshman before getting increased opportunities as a sophomore when he had 27 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns. But those two seasons served as nothing more than a precursor to a big junior year.

In 2005, Davis became the focal point of the Terps’ offense, catching 51 passes for 871 yards and six touchdowns. In the process, Davis made a number of jaw-dropping catches and showed an amazing ability to get yards after the catch.

Against West Virginia on Sept. 17, Davis made five catches for 158 yards, for an astounding 31.6 yards per catch. That performance was buoyed by a highlight-reel 73-yard touchdown catch in which Davis outran almost the entire Mountaineers’ defense to get to the end zone.

By the time the season was only a few games old, Davis was no longer viewed as a typical tight end. In practice, Davis would match up against defensive backs instead of the traditional linebacker battles and the coaches found new ways to keep him involved in the offense.

“My coaches would try to find different ways to get me the ball as far as options and things,” Davis said. “He came up with creative things to get me open. They were usually seven routes, like post corners. When you are running those and you have a tight end that can make moves like a wide receiver, it’s like a mismatch when you have a linebacker or safety on you.”

Davis’ scintillating junior season made the decision to turn pro a year early a no brainer. After sending away to the NFL to receive a draft grade, Davis nearly had his mind made up. A discussion with Merriman about his future made it completely clear.

“He basically helped me with my decision,” Davis said. “I went to him before I left Maryland and asked him if he thought it was a good idea for me to leave. He said yeah, you had a great season. There’s not much more you can do there at Maryland and he said he is willing to help me with anything that I need as far as making the decision.”

Soon after making the decision to leave early, Davis began working out with other top tight ends such as UCLA’s Marcedes Lewis and Georgia’s Leonard Pope at API in Arizona.

While most top players go to the scouting combine in Indianapolis to be measured and meet with teams, skipping the workout portion of the event, Davis had no fear about showing off his physical prowess to the many scouts and coaches in attendance.

Davis’ performance was called by one scout the most amazing performance he has seen from any tight end or receiver. Instantly, Davis went from surefire first round pick to a lock for the top 10 in the draft.

Now, it appears Davis could go as high as number six with teams such as San Francisco, Oakland, Buffalo, Arizona and the Rams taking a long look at him.

And, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for some team to move up into the top five to grab Davis. Should that happen, he’d be the first tight end to go in that high.

“I don’t think there’s any reason why a tight end can’t be a team’s No. 1 receiver,” Davis said. “That would obviously be my goal. I think a guy with my size and speed would create a lot of problems for defenses.”

For now, Gates is the defining player of the new breed of tight ends. But that could change in the near future.

“Antonio Gates is a good player,” Davis said. “He’s a player that I watched a lot throughout my college career. I like the way he plays. There’s some things that when I observe him I see some things that he does better than myself and things I can do better than him as well as far as speed.”

Speed, athleticism, confidence. Davis has the whole package. And that’s why a position that has already been redefined by a new breed of player might need to brace for a whole new meaning.