Buster Davis attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. He played linebacker on the football team where he recorded 101 solo tackles and 7 forced fumbles as a junior. As a senior he had over 140 total tackles, bringing his career total to just under 400 tackles. He was considered to be one of the top 10 linebacker prospects in the nation. He was recruited by Nebraska, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Syracuse, but he opted to attend Florida State where he sat out the 2002 season as a redshirt. He saw limited action in seven games as a reserve linebacker the following season, finishing with 5 tackles on the year. He was named the team’s “most improved linebacker” following spring practices in 2004. As a sophomore, Davis had his fist career sack and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 60 stops on the year. Buster emerged as one of the better linebackers in the nation his junior year, finishing the season with 91 tackles and 2 sacks on the year.

Buster Davis has a good deal of experience against top competition, having started the past three seasons at linebacker for Florida State in the ACC. During that time he has proven to be a very durable player who rarely misses time due to injury. He is a versatile player with the ability to play inside or outside. He is an intelligent player with good instincts. He is quick to read and react to what the offense is doing. He is an aggressive linebacker with a non-stop motor. He has a “nose for the football” and makes plays all over the field. He is an extremely hard hitter and a solid tackler. He is pretty good in coverage but his small stature will cause matchup problems against bigger tight ends. The biggest question with Buster is going to be his lack of ideal size for the linebacker position. He will have trouble getting off blocks of bigger, stronger offensive linemen at times. He doesn’t have the frame to get much bigger than he already is and he lacks great timed speed. Buster Davis is a versatile player who could play inside or outside at the next level. I think he projects better as an inside linebacker in the mold of former New Orleans Saints linebacker Sam Mills. He lacks ideal measurables, but the guy is a great leader who simply makes plays. He should be a first day selection in the 2007 NFL draft.