Davis and Williams compete to be top receiver in NFL draft

INDIANAPOLIS - Corey Davis stepped in front of cameras at the combine on Friday and asked, "Is my hair good?" Talent evaluators are wondering the same about his ankle.

Davis is at the combine this week, but he cannot run. That complicates the draft stock of a wide receiver projected to be a first-round pick and with a convincing argument to be the top player at his position.

Davis, a 6-foot-3, 209-pound standout from Western Michigan, had a high-ankle sprain with two torn ligaments that required surgery six weeks ago. He expects to host a workout for evaluators by April and be ready to participate in offseason workouts after the draft.

Davis said he didn't think it would affect his draft stock, "because my game tape is not too shabby."

He has a point. Davis finished with 90 catches for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns last season and is the all-time leading receiver in major-college football history with 5,285 yards during his four-year career. His size, athleticism, and production make him one of three wide receivers projected to go in the first round. Clemson's Mike Williams and Washington's John Ross are the other two.

Williams, who is 6-4 and 218 pounds, is Davis' biggest competition for the draft's top wide receiver. Neither will run the 40-yard dash at the combine; Williams, who is known more for his size than his speed, will wait until his pro day. He had 84 catches for 1,171 yards and 10 touchdowns for the national champions, and the schedule he played - including a big performance against Alabama in the title game - is why Williams thinks he's the top receiver in the draft.

"Just the competition we face every week at Clemson," Williams said. "We play a lot of great DBs, a lot of great teams. . . . The coaches we have at Clemson, I feel like we learn from some of the best."

That's an edge Williams surely has over Davis. Playing in the Mid-American Conference, Williams compiled his statistics mostly against cornerbacks who are not on the radar of NFL teams. When he has met with teams at the combine, he has answered those concerns.

"I believe that's the biggest question, just the level of competition," Davis said. "I know a lot of scouts and a lot of the other players think my level of competition wasn't that serious just being from the MAC. But I feel like I can play with the best of them."

Davis' answer is similar to what he said about his injury: Watch the tape. Specifically, watch the tape against Big Ten schools.

Against a stout Michigan State defense as a junior in 2015, Davis tallied 10 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown. He also had six catches that year against an Ohio State secondary pre-packaged for Sundays. As a senior, Davis totaled 17 catches for 240 yards and a touchdown against three Big Ten opponents. So his numbers weren't coming just against Ball State.

"My game tape isn't anything to be ashamed of, especially when we play bigger schools," Davis said.

Athletic testing can be an equalizer for players from lower conferences, serving as the standardized tests of the NFL admission process. The ankle injury keeps Davis from participating, but there is still value in his trip to Indianapolis.

"Just meeting with coaches and doing the medical part," Davis said. "Meeting with coaches, that's the big things. That's probably just as important as the on-field work. I've got the same approach that I do going into a game."

Williams, who is healthy, said his long season kept him from preparing for the combine's 40-yard dash. He noted that the 40 is only a pre-draft drill, and he's more focused on the routes that he'll run in games. He did not think his 40-yard dash, whatever the time, would hurt his draft stock.

"I don't think so at all," Williams said. "Jerry Rice didn't run a fast time. Antonio Brown didn't run a fast time. He's the highest-paid receiver in the league right now. It's all about just playing football if you look at it at the end of the day."

Both players could be targets for the Eagles in the first round if they last that long, depending upon whether the team can acquire wide receiver Brandin Cooks. There were no developments with Cooks on Friday; teams cannot officially make trades until next week.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock ranked Davis as the top receiver because of his athleticism and size with "better run-after-the-catch" than Williams. But Mayock said Williams would be more appealing for red-zone scoring opportunities because of his "catching radius and physicality." Eagles fans should get to know both of them, even though the Eagles cannot get a look at Davis on the field this weekend.

"I work like I'm the worst receiver in the draft," Davis said, "but my confidence is up there, and I know I'm that top guy."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm www.philly.com/eaglesblog