Zach Davidson (born July 15, 1998) is an American professional football tight end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Missouri (where he played as punter as well) and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
| No. 84 – Buffalo Bills | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 15, 1998 Webb City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight: | 251 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Webb City |
| College: | Central Missouri (2016–2020) |
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 5 / pick: 168 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editDavidson grew up in Webb City, Missouri and attended Webb City High School.[1] He was originally a backup tight end on Webb City's junior varsity team, but became the punter for the varsity team after the Cardinals' regular punter was suspended.[2] He was an All-State selection as a junior and senior at punter.[3]
College career
editDavidson began his career at Central Missouri solely as a punter and redshirted his true freshman year.[3] As a redshirt freshman, he set a school record and finished second in the nation with 44.3 yards per punt on 47 punts and was named second-team All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The following season, Davidson was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection at punter and also served as the Mules second tight end, finishing the season with 11 catches for 239 receiving yards and three touchdowns.[4][5] He had 40 receptions for 894 Yards and 15 touchdowns in his redshirt junior and was named first-team All-MIAA at both punter and tight end as well as a first-team All-American.[6] Davidson opted to forgo his redshirt senior season, which was to be played in the spring due to COVID-19, and enter the 2021 NFL draft.[7]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6+5⁄8 in (2.00 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.62 s | 1.74 s | 2.60 s | 4.26 s | 6.95 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
17 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[8][9][10] | ||||||||||||
Minnesota Vikings
editDavidson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round, 168th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft.[11] He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 13, 2021.[12] He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[13][14] He was promoted to the active roster on January 8, 2022.[15]
Davidson was waived on August 30, 2022.[16]
Buffalo Bills
editOn September 1, 2022, Davidson was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad.[17] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 23, 2023.[18]
On June 15, 2023, Davidson was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.[19]
On August 27, 2024, Davidson was released by the Bills as part of final roster cuts, and re-signed to the practice squad.[20][21]
Davidson was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for the November 17, 2024 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was elevated to fill in for Dalton Kincaid who was out for the November 17 game due to a knee injury,[22] when he recorded his first ever regular season reception in the NFL.
References
edit- ^ Schrader, Shea (April 4, 2021). "Journey to the draft: Zach Davidson's path to the NFL". FourStatesHomepage.com. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (April 29, 2021). "The incredible journey of 2021 NFL Draft prospect Zach Davidson". Fox Sports. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ a b La Canfora, Jason (March 31, 2021). "2021 NFL Draft: From Division II punter to NFL tight end, the most intriguing prospect you've never heard of". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Zach Davidson, TE, Central Missouri – NFL Draft Player Profile". April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ Henry, Jim (December 16, 2020). "Zach Davidson declares for NFL Draft". The Joplin Globe. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Zach Davidson receives second All-America honor". The Joplin Globe. December 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Zach Davidson displays his agility to NFL scouts". Columbia Missourian. March 22, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Zach Davidson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Zach Davidson, Central Missouri, TE, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Zach Davidson 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Vikings Round 5 Recap of 2021 NFL Draft". Vikings.com. May 1, 2021.
- ^ "WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, TE Zach Davidson agree to contract terms with Vikings". St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves to Get to Initial 53". Vikings.com. August 31, 2021.
- ^ Peters, Craig (September 1, 2021). "Vikings Claim TE Ben Ellefson & Sign 14 to Practice Squad". Vikings.com.
- ^ "Vikings Activate Christian Darrisaw & Ezra Cleveland, Make Multiple Roster Moves". Vikings.com. January 8, 2022.
- ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves, Set Initial 53-Man Roster". Vikings.com. August 30, 2022.
- ^ White, Alec (September 1, 2022). "Bills sign 3 more players to complete practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ Jenkins, Chris (January 23, 2023). "Bills signed these players to reserve/future contracts for 2023". BuffaloBills.com.
- ^ White, Alec (June 15, 2023). "Bills sign TE Nick Guggemos". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ White, Alec (August 27, 2024). "Buffalo Bills made these moves to get to initial 53-man roster | 2024". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ White, Alec (August 28, 2024). "Bills sign 16 players to 2024 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Jenkins, Chris (November 16, 2024). "Bills elevate tight end Zach Davidson and tackle Richard Gouraige for Chiefs game". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.