By Ross Jackson
Wake Forest edge rusher Jasheen Davis was one of the most productive pass rushers in the team’s history. He finished his career with 51.5 tackles for a loss and an eye-popping 25.5 sacks. Now, he’s a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Davis, 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, signed with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent. He provides the Saints another impressive collegiate pass rusher option to help revamp the team’s defensive image under new defensive coordinator Brandon Stately.
Look no further than the production over his 50-game career and the praise heaped on him by former Demon Deacons head coach Dave Clawson to find the reason why New Orleans worked to pick him up following the draft.
“Jasheen Davis is probably, of all the players I’ve coached at Wake Forest, might have one of the best motors,” said Clawson. “That guy just goes from the start of the snap to the end of the whistle. He has a tenacity, an intenseness, that he just never ever quits on a play and he’s developed into being an outstanding pass rusher, a good leader and just a really strong overall football player”
Highlights of Saints UDFA EDGE Jasheen Davis pic.twitter.com/ogvCVLP3hU
— kaj (@kadinjanisch) May 2, 2025
Davis was a highly productive player in college, but knows that he has a challenge ahead of him adjusting to the NFL game. This week, he joined After Further Review host Matt Moscona for an exclusive one-on-one of n 104.5 ESPN Radio Baton Rouge.
The edge rusher knows he has the fundamentals down, but the next level speed of the game will be the a hurdle he’s looking forward to leaping.
“I would just say the speed of the game,” Davis said. “You’re going from 18 to 22 year-olds to, at minimum, 23 to 40 year-olds. So, just understanding the different elements of the game that make good players into great players. I feel like at this level, everything is all about (being a) technician and everything. And the number one thing is motor and effort. And I feel like that’s the fundamentals of football. And if you got the fundamentals of football then it could take you very far.”
The Demon Deacon defender said that he didn’t have a lot of pre-draft context with New Orleans, a theme among the undrafted players that have spoken with Moscona in this year’s crop. However, he had at least some contact with a number of teams.
“I’ve spoken with them a couple of times,” Davis said. “But I wouldn’t say a lot of contact. I’ve spoken with a ton of teams.”
While he spoke to multiple teams, he ultimately signed with the Saints with two things in mind. First was the opportunity presented by the team’s defensive line group and the second was staying close to his family who are from Snellville, GA.
“Looking at their depth chart, I feel like I have an opportunity to come in and make a name for myself,” Davis said. “I feel like it’s within close proximity, I’m not against going across the country or whatever, but I feel if anybody had the option to either stay close to home, they’ll choose that any day.”
Family is obviously very important to Davis, but despite their Atlanta Falcons fandom, he still made the decision to end up on the opposite side of the rivalry.
