Nebraska twin defensive linemen Carlos and Khalil Davis were both selected on the third day of the NFL Draft Saturday. The Davis twins were All-Big Ten selections on the football field and All-America discus throwers in track and field during their Husker careers.
The Davises are the first brothers in the history of Nebraska football to be selected in the same NFL Draft. They are also the second twins in Husker history to both be chosen in the NFL Draft and are among 11 sets of brothers who played at Nebraska and were then drafted.
Khalil was the first Husker selected, as he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round with the 194th overall pick. Carlos, the older of the Davis twins by five minutes, was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round with the No. 232 overall pick.
Khalil is the 11th Husker to be selected by Tampa Bay and the first since Kenny Bell in 2015. Davis joins a Buccaneer defense that features former Husker All-Americans Ndamukong Suh and Lavonte David, both of whom have been first-team All-Pro selections in their NFL careers. Nebraska inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud, the Huskers’ all-time leading tackler, was also drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and Ruud spent six seasons with the Buccaneers during his eight-year professional career. Nebraska has another tie to Tampa Bay, as the Bucs’ general manager is Jason Licht, who was born in Fremont and was a member of the Husker football team from 1989 to 1991.
Carlos is the 15th Husker to be selected by Pittsburgh, but just the second this century and the first since Keith Williams in 2011. Davis was the lone defensive linemen chosen by the Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he is the first Husker defensive lineman to be drafted by the organization. Davis will get the chance to play for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who also coached Nebraska head coach Scott Frost when Frost was a safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, his final season in the NFL.
Khalil Davis, DL, 6th Round, 194th Pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Khalil Davis improved throughout his Husker career, which saw him start as a 4-3 defensive tackle before switching to defensive end in a 3-4 scheme for his final three seasons. A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Davis made 106 tackles and had 26 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks in 47 career games.
Davis played in 12 games in 2016, and two of his five tackles as a redshirt freshman came behind the line of scrimmage. He played in every game as a sophomore, totaling 15 tackles with four TFLs, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup, setting the stage for a productive final two seasons. Davis was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection as a junior in 2018, when he led the Husker defensive line with 41 tackles, eight TFLs and 3.0 sacks, all of which were career highs. Davis then eclipsed each of those totals en route to third-team All-Big Ten recognition as a senior. In 2019, Davis again led all of Nebraska’s defensive linemen in tackles (45), and he led all Huskers with 12 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks.
Nebraska’s Defensive Lineman of the Year in both 2018 and 2019, Davis also showed his strength as a thrower for the Husker track and field team. He finished third in the discus at the 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Championships and earned honorable-mention All-America honors with a 23rd-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Carlos Davis, DL, 7th Round, 232nd Pick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Carlos Davis was a four-year force on the Husker defensive line, playing both defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme and defensive end in a 3-4 system. He played in 48 games with 36 starts, totaling 125 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Davis also broke up eight passes and had 11 quarterback hurries.
Davis played in every game as a redshirt freshman in 2016, earning honorable-mention Big Ten All-Freshman team honors after registering 24 tackles, five TFLs and 2.0 sacks as a defensive tackle. He moved to defensive end and started all 12 games as a sophomore in 2017, finishing with a career-high 42 tackles and six quarterback hurries. In his junior season, Davis was a 2018 honorable-mention All-Big Ten pick after he made 27 tackles and broke up five passes, the most by a Nebraska defensive lineman since Ndamukong Suh in 2009. In his senior season, Davis set career highs with six tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks, while totaling 32 tackles.In addition to being recognized as an all-conference player on the gridiron, Davis’ strength and athletic ability were also on display as one of the top discus throwers in the country. Davis was a two-time All-American in the event, earning second-team All-America accolades with a 16th-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He was an honorable-mention All-America selection in 2018, finishing 23rd at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
2020 Nebraska NFL Draft Notes
- Nebraska’s two draft picks were its most since four Huskers were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. NU also had multiple defensive linemen drafted for the first time since Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine went in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
- With two players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Nebraska has now had 361 all-time NFL Draft picks (not including three players selected in the 1984 supplemental draft). The Huskers’ 361 NFL Draft picks rank seventh all-time, tied with Penn State.
- Twin brothers Carlos and Khalil Davis were both selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, marking the first time in the history of Nebraska football that brothers were selected in the same NFL Draft. The Davis twins are the second set of twins to play at Nebraska and then be selected in the NFL Draft and are among 11 sets of brothers to play at Nebraska and then be drafted.
Nebraska Football Brothers Selected in the NFL Draft
Josh (2005) and Daniel (2006) Bullocks [twins]
Carlos (2020) and Khalil (2020) Davis [twins]
Cletus (1949) and Pat (1961) Fischer
Sam (1937) and Vike (1942) Francis
Harry (1941) and Wally (1945) Hopp
Chad (1999) and Chris (2003) Kelsay
Tom (1948 & 1950) and Ray (1954) Novak
Christian (1996) and Jason (1998) Peter
Barrett (2005) and Bo (2008) Ruud
Jimmy (1982) and Toby (1983) Williams
Grant (1998) and Tracey (2002) Wistrom
