Ex-Miami coach compared new Detroit Lion Jarrad Davis to Ray Lewis

Granted, Florida defensive coordinator Randy Shannon is a little biased when discussing the former star and leader of his defense.

But you also can view it like Shannon is someone who saw linebacker Jarrad Davis up close and personal every day on the practice field, in meetings and in games as the Gators’ linebackers coach.

Here’s what Shannon, a former University of Miami head coach, said about Davis, the first-round pick of the Detroit Lions’ on Thursday, in March 2016 when he made comparisons to future NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and other linebacker greats from Miami.

“He’s competitive like Jon Vilma was,” Shannon said of Davis, according to Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post. “Vilma, if you played cards, he’d play all night until he beat you. That’s how Jarrad is. He’ll never quit, he’s going to have to win. If you want to keep competing at dominoes or a game, you’re gonna be up all night with it until you let him win. Very competitive in that aspect, he takes a lot of pride in himself. Athletically he has like Jon Beason-ness, the speed and the power and stuff like that and the knowledge like Ray (Lewis) was. He has the game, he knows what to do, he knows how to get the guys lined up, he knows how to protect certain guys on the defense with a call.”

Shannon was Lewis' position coach at Miami in the mid-1990s.

Davis totaled 158 tackles in his two seasons as a starter at Florida and missed four games last year with a high ankle sprain. Davis twice tried to play through the injury.

“The way his energy is each and every day, the way he brings it in practice is something that’s special because every day he comes out, he competes at a high level and the players on the team see those things and the young guys see it and they take their step up to the next level,” Shannon said.