:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/6387407/129276173.0.jpg)
A tumultuous day for Texas Longhorns junior wide receiver MIke Davis finally reached a conclusion on Thursday evening when the talented pass-catcher informed ESPN's Joe Schad that he will not declare for the 2013 NFL Draft, as he had said earlier in the day.
So, what happened? Well, it appears that Davis had the conversations with members of the Texas staff that he probably should have before informing Schad of what he thought were his intentions:
Mike Davis said he changed his mind after conversation with two Texas offensive coaches, family members and high school coaches.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 11, 2013
The Texas coaches were most likely Darrell Wyatt and Major Applewhite, who probably told Davis that he could improve his draft stock with another year in college. This time a year ago, the future for Davis at Texas appeared cloudy amid talk that he could transfer or give up the game entirely. NFL personnel probably want to see him put more distance between himself and that dark period of his football career, to prove that he is completely past those mental issues that plagued him so greatly.
Consistency catching passes and finding more success blocking are two other areas in which Davis could stand to improve to push himself firmly into the first three rounds of the draft.
Moreover, Davis indicated that he has some unfinished business left in Austin:
Davis: "A lot of receivers are coming out. I need to see the big picture and see what I can be at Texas and in the Big 12..."
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 11, 2013
Davis: "A lot of receivers are coming out. I need to see the big picture and see what I can be at Texas and in the Big 12..."
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 11, 2013
Davis: "But I need to do this one more time. I want to try to win the Biletnikoff Award. Those guys at Texas deserve another year."
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 11, 2013
A lot of individual goals there for Davis, no doubt, but it's hard to begrudge the reasoning of a player when it appears to be the right decision, even if it did result in Texas fans being pulled back and forth a bit.
It seems that Davis was right there with everyone else, with his greatest mistake telling the scoop-seeking Schad of his plans before they were completely finalized. Before he had those important conversations with his college and high school coaches and his family.
It's unquestionably a decision that will benefit Texas football, as Davis was a difference maker in the close games against Oklahoma St. and Kansas and could well be the difference maker in at least one game next season.