Carlos
Davis.
Carlos
Davis.
Nebraska· 6'2"· 313 lb· 4.82s 40
"Pittsburgh drafted Nebraska's track-star defensive lineman at No. 232 for his explosiveness, and he later became a UFL champion and two-time all-league lineman."Pre-draft read
Davis was a defensive lineman in Nebraska's front, a 6-2, 313-pounder who played end as a senior and projected inside in the NFL. His primary trait was explosiveness: an All-American in track and field at Nebraska, he ran a 4.82 40 and fired off the ball with rare quickness for his size, penetrating gaps before blockers could set.
His secondary trait was raw strength, with 27 bench press reps and the power to hold the point against the run when his pad level stayed low. As a pass rusher he relied on quickness more than a plan. His athletic ceiling was high, and his signature was the burst of a two-sport athlete at over 300 pounds.
One-gap, attacking front that lets an explosive interior lineman penetrate quickly rather than hold blocks.
Year 1: reserve interior lineman and practice squad developmental player. Ceiling: rotational three-technique.
Two-gap, read-and-react front that asks interior linemen to absorb double teams and hold ground every snap.
His burst fit best in a penetrating, one-gap scheme.
2020 NFL Draft: Nebraska Cornhuskers DL Carlos Davis Highlights
Pre-draft reel of his Nebraska career.
Carlos Davis (Nebraska DL #96) vs. Purdue (2018)
Every snap against Purdue in 2018.
Carlos and Khalil Davis 40 Yard Dash 2020 NFL Combine
The twins' 40-yard dashes at the 2020 Combine.
Davis projected as a toolsy, explosive interior lineman whose testing outpaced his production. Evaluators saw a rare athlete for his size, a twin brother of fellow draftee Khalil Davis, but one who needed coaching on hand use and consistency after an uneven college career.
He started 11 of 12 games at defensive end as a senior in 2019 and made 32 tackles, second among Nebraska's defensive linemen behind his brother. Across five seasons he totaled 125 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. The flags were modest production for his athletic profile, inconsistent technique, short arms for the interior and a lack of a clear position fit in an NFL front.
Most boards had him as a late-round or priority free agent defensive tackle. Pittsburgh took him at No. 232, betting its coaching staff could turn his explosiveness into a rotational interior role. The Steelers had a long history of developing athletic defensive linemen, and his track background suggested more room to grow than most prospects taken this late in the draft.
- 01
Rare explosiveness
Ran a 4.82 40 at 313 pounds, an unusual burst for an interior lineman that let him penetrate gaps quickly.
- 02
Two-sport athlete
An All-American in track and field at Nebraska, bringing body control and athleticism uncommon for his size.
- 03
Raw strength
Put up 27 bench press reps and showed the power to hold the point of attack against the run when he stayed low.
- 04
Positional versatility
Played end at Nebraska and could project inside as a three-technique or nose tackle in an NFL front.
- 05
Steady contributor
Made 125 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks over his career, starting 11 games as a senior.
- 01
Modest production
His college production never matched his testing, with only 9.5 sacks across five seasons at Nebraska.
- 02
Raw hand use
Relied on quickness rather than a developed set of pass-rush moves, making him easy to wash out once blockers engaged him.
- 03
Short arms
At 32 inches his arms were short for the interior, letting longer blockers get into his frame and control him.
- 04
Inconsistent pad level
Played too high at times, losing leverage against double teams and getting moved off the ball in the run game.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.82sp50
- Vertical
- —in
- Broad jump
- —in
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.52sp50
- Bench
- 27repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Nebraska | 12 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 12 | 125 | 9.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career totals of 125 tackles, 18 TFL and 9.5 sacks from the Steelers and Wikipedia; his 2019 line (12 games, 11 starts, 32 tackles) from the Steelers. Sources conflict on his year-by-year splits, so earlier seasons and other categories are left blank rather than guessed.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a reserve interior lineman who later starred in the UFL.
Explosive, undersized interior lineman who became a disruptive starter.
His twin, an explosive tester whose NFL career never took off.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Davis made Pittsburgh's 53-man roster as a rookie in 2020 and debuted against Dallas in Week 9, finishing with six tackles in seven games. He remained with the Steelers through 2022 as a reserve, then spent time with Atlanta and Cincinnati in offseason roles. He found a home in the UFL, winning a championship with the Birmingham Stallions in 2024 and earning All-UFL honors in 2024 and 2026, the latter with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
In hindsight the pick returned limited NFL value but confirmed his talent. The explosiveness evaluators saw kept him on an NFL roster for three seasons, but the raw technique and modest production flagged before the draft kept him from earning a steady role. He finished his NFL career with 12 games, 12 tackles and one sack. His all-league success in the UFL shows how much his athleticism could produce against a lower level of competition, and how thin the line is between a reserve and a starter.