UConn in the NFL Draft: As silly season approaches, Davis looks to improve draft stock

Throughout his illustrious career at UConn, Geremy Davis has not exactly had star quarterbacks throwing him the ball. Despite this setback, Davis maintained incredible stats.

Through his sophomore year, he hauled in 50 catches for 618 yards – over 12 yards per catch. In 2013 through October, he had 30 catches for 444 yards, and 14.8 YPC with Chandler Whitmer and true freshman Tim Boyle delivering him the ball. In November and December, with Casey Cochran getting the majority of the snaps, he had 36 catches for 541 yards, which was good for 15 YPC. It's seemed Davis had finally found his quarterback. He was primed to have a big senior season, and he would look to move up NFL draft boards.

Then, in 2014, everything went wrong. After suffering another concussion the first game of the season, Cochran retired to prevent further injury. To add to Davis' list of challenges, the offensive line was dreadful, leaving the quarterback with little to no time to throw the ball, and hardly allowing Davis enough time to get open on deeper routes. Next, under a heavy downpour against South Florida, the coaches decided they weren't going to throw the ball after it failed so mightily early in the game. Then in October, Davis injured his foot against East Carolina, and only registered one catch in that game. He missed the next two games due to the injury, and still struggled in his first game back versus Cincinnati. He seemed to improve over the last two games, however, grabbing eight catches for 84 yards.

It didn't help that many a time, he was taken out on third downs for whatever reason, on top of having a quarterback that had no time to throw and being part of an offense that struggled to move the ball even 10 yards.

Davis, who should be considered one of the top receivers in college football, did not even receive an invite to the Senior Bowl, Shrine Game or NFL Combine. Now, his measurables aren't quite eye popping. His 40 time of 4.58 is less than average for an NFL receiver, but at a stout 6-foot-3, he has the profile of a successful possession receiver. After having quarterbacks that were marginal at best in his college days, there's no doubt he could succeed in the NFL.

Former NFL wide receivers Az-Zahir Hakim and Hall of Famer Andre Reed coached the wide receivers at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and, though Davis didn't light up the stat sheet, had nice things to say about working with the Lawrenceville, Georgia product.

"He had a good week in camp," Hakim told The New Haven Register, "He catches the ball well; he isn't afraid to go over the middle. I really liked working with him. He's a good kid, a hard worker, a good teammate....He's a good player, a good receiver."

This past season for UConn football was miserable. For Davis, the damage went beyond losing games. Davis has a long road ahead of him, longer than it really should be. Now, only time will tell if he has what it takes to make it in NFL.