Congratulations! You've just made the wonderful decision to draft Daviyon Nixon! Like most new Daviyon Nixon owners, you're no doubt filled with questions about your new family member. We here at GIA will try our best to answer any questions you might have.
HELLO CAROLINA PANTHERS!
Hawkeye Carolina pic.twitter.com/JssMvT5pO7
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 1, 2021
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT DAVIYON NIXON?
Nixon absolutely blew up in 2020, going from an intriguing rotation piece in Iowa's defensive line to one of the best damn defensive players in college football. His stats -- 45 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks -- don't really capture the full effect of his play; he was the most disruptive force on an Iowa defense that was absolute nails all year long. Nixon was voted All-Big Ten, but that was just the start of his honors -- he was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and earned consensus All-American honors. He was, simply, outstanding in 2020.
WHAT DID HE DO THAT'S SO GREAT?
Not many interior defensive linemen can move like Nixon can move; he has tremendous agility and lateral quickness that helps him make plays that other defenders his size simply couldn't imagine making. He's very disruptive and excellent at generating penetration as a pass rusher. He has a tremendous ability to knife into the backfield and harass quarterbacks and running backs. He's good at blowing up screen passes and with his quickness, he can make plays away from the line of scrimmage as well. At Iowa, Nixon was just a dude who made plays time and time again.
STATS
| YEAR | TACKLES | TFL | SACKS | QB HURRY | FORCED FUM | FUMBLE REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 29 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 45 | 13.5 | 5.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Nixon also had one spectacular pick six:
HOW ARE HIS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES?
| FORTY | SHUTTLE | VERTICAL | BROAD JUMP | THREE-CONE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.90 | 4.70 | 28.5" | 8' 10" | 7.68 |
Nixon measured 6'3" and 313 lbs at Iowa's Pro Day, with an arm length of 35 1/8".
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT ABOUT THE BAD?
The main reason he was available on Day Three is some of those physical attributes -- while he has unusual speed and agility for a defensive tackle, he doesn't have quite as much strength, particularly in the upper-body, as many NFL defensive tackles. He's also still a somewhat raw prospect in some ways -- he only played two years at Iowa after a stint in junior college, so there's still fine tuning to be done to the more technical aspects of his game, like his hands and footwork.
WAS THIS A GOOD PICK?
At this stage of the draft? Definitely. Nixon was one of the best defensive linemen in college football in 2020, an explosive and disruptive force from the tackle position who lived in opposition backfields, harassed quarterbacks and running backs, and made a ton of quality plays for the Iowa defense. He has some unique skills for a guy his size and in the right system, he should be a high-quality addition to the defensive line.
