Marlon Davidson was eager to finally have the opportunity to hit someone at practice.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports, the second-round selection out of Auburn had been like everyone else, working out on his own while anticipating the day he could report to his new team’s facility. And with the Falcons beginning padded practices Tuesday, Davidson was now able to bring his outgoing personality to life on the practice field.
As Davidson recounted, it was a long time coming.
“I thought it was a game (at practice),” Davidson said. “It was great being able to be out there. There are a lot of people who want to hit.”
The last time the Falcons were able dress in full pads came during the 2019 season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 233 days ago. In fact, Thursday marked the first time in 228 days that the coaching staff was on the same field with the players. Coach Dan Quinn addressed this to the team after Tuesday’s practice, which hit home for Davidson.
“It’s been a very long time,” Davidson said. “When you put on the pads, people start to come out of the woodwork and say, ‘Hey, it’s time to go now.’”
As a second-round draft pick, Davidson figures to be an integral part of the Falcons’ rotation on the defensive line in 2020. His hard-working nature already has earned approval from Quinn, who has been impressed with what he calls Davidson’s “hunger index.” Once he cleared the COVID-19 testing protocol at the beginning of the preseason, Davidson simply was thrilled to be able to look his new teammates in the face.
“From being around him and hearing him talk about different techniques and the things he’s been involved with, it just came across so strong and clear about how much he loved to compete and play,” Quinn said. “All of those attributes, you put them together. The willingness is there to get better, the effort. All of that factors in. He has a really big future. I really do feel that way.”
Davidson is motivated by his late mother, Cynthia Carter, who died in 2015 at the age of 47 because of complications from a blood clot. Long before he attended Auburn, it was Davidson’s goal to make it to the NFL and buy his mother a house. Now that he’s in the league, he thinks of his mother when times get tough.
Her memory continues to provide a high level of motivation on a daily basis.
“I wake up every day with this picture on my phone of my mother,” Davidson said. “I’m serious, man. Every day, on my alarm it’s like, ‘Do it for Mama.’ When I wake up that’s who I do it for. I might have those days where I’m like I have to do it all over again and it becomes repetitive. But every day there is something you can get better at. When I wake up I can get better at something. When I open up my eyes, I can get better at that.”
This offseason, the coaching staff told Davidson to report at 295 pounds. When he arrived at the team facility in late July, he weighed in at exactly 295 and said he was only one pound heavier at 296 as of Tuesday morning. He has maintained a strict eating regimen since he was drafted to ensure he didn’t report heavier.
For any young adult -- Davidson is 22 -- it can be a challenge to lay off the junk foods that can derail a playing weight.
“It’s hard,” Davidson said. “You want that little fried food here and there, that little burger. But it’s staying consistent with yourself and staying consistent with your diet. Cheating on your diet means you’re going to cheat on life in some way. I got to be able to stay true to myself, stay true to the cause, and what I want to become and what I want to be.”
Said Quinn: “I’ve been really impressed so far with his discipline. His weight is exactly where it should be.”
The Falcons have been lining up Davidson at defensive end and defensive tackle, with the rookie lineman saying he’s seen more reps inside thus far.
In a time where no one could practice during the offseason, Davidson hasn’t worried about how that will affect his on-field play once the first game kicks off. He prepared plenty this offseason. The confident young man also is finding ways to carve out a leadership role, even if he’s only a first-year NFL defensive lineman.
While he has naturally gravitated toward veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, he said he hasn’t been shy to offer help if he sees something that a teammate can correct.
“I go out there and worry about myself, going out there and being the best person I can be, being the best football player I can, being the best teammate I can be, and being able to be a leader even though I’m still a young guy,” Davidson said.
“Still teaching some younger guys, some older guys. Sometimes a different perspective can help you. I did just come from Auburn University, so I have a lot of football background, knowing a lot of things, seeing different things. Coming over here, I’m learning from then and they can learn some stuff from me, too.”
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