Igbinoghene, Davis look to join growing group of Auburn CBs in NFL
When Javaris Davis leaned back and relaxed against the backdrop of Auburn logos — while fielding a flurry of questions from reporters following Auburn's 2020 Pro Day — Davis could look to his right and see Jamel Dean.
While Noah Igbinoghene spoke to two NFL scouts on the 30-yard line of Auburn's indoor practice field, he could look over his left shoulder and see Carlton Davis.
The current members and the likely future inductees of Auburn's growing fraternity of cornerbacks in the NFL were under one roof. And that was reason enough for Igbinoghene to flash a smile.
"I talk to them a lot," Igbinoghene said of Carlton Davis and Dean. "They went through the same exact thing. They went through it. They told me how it was going to be, told me what to expect, and I can’t wait."
Javaris Davis and Igbinoghene took drastically different paths to becoming NFL-ready talent. Javaris Davis' experience and athleticism allowed him to bounce around positions in the secondary until his senior year, while Igbinoghene went from receiver to corner to lock-down corner to first-round draft grade in the span of two years.
Both will more than likely join Carlton Davis and Dean in a month, increasing Auburn's footprint in the league at the cornerback position.
Auburn also boasts Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones, an important fixture in New England's defense for the past few seasons, and free agent corner Neiko Thorpe, most recently with the Seahawks for three years.
"That shows Auburn," Igbinoghene said of Dean and Carlton Davis being in the building for Pro Day. "Everybody’s coming back. Everybody that’s played here is coming back. They’re very successful in the league, both of them. Staring cornerbacks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who would have thought.
"This is starting a trend for Auburn cornerbacks and the defense as a whole. I’ll be back here next year as well."
Carlton Davis and Dean were selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2018 draft and the third round of the 2019 draft, respectively. Both have worked their way to becoming valuable assets for the Bucs' defense — Carlton Davis a starter, and Dean right behind him on the depth chart.
Both left Auburn a year early when they emerged as Auburn's No. 1 cornerback, just as Igbinoghene did.
"It’s a blessing man, only to be playing (corner) for two years," Igbinoghene said. "Who knows, it’s crazy. If I would have been playing the position a little earlier, who knows what could have happened. I’m out here, it’s a blessing again, I’m glad. I didn’t plan to come here and do this and play cornerback."
Igbinoghene, who has been a first-round grade for most of the offseason, including in Mel Kiper Jr.'s newest mock draft, said he was advised by both Dean and Carlton Davis about the decision to forgo his senior year.
"It definitely was hard. I love Auburn. Auburn is the reason I’m here," Igbinoghene said. "Auburn let me change positions, allowed me to grow into myself playing this position. It was very hard to leave. I was really debating if I wanted to come back and be a leader of this team. Decided to leave. Felt like it was the best thing for me and my family. Met with Coach Malzahn, the whole coaching staff and now I’m here."
Javaris Davis, while not as flashy a prospect as Igbinoghene, had a standout NFL Combine and is being given Day 3 consideration when it comes to his draft stock. And if he goes undrafted, he'll likely be one of the top remaining players to sign as a free agent.
"Most definitely," Javaris Davis said when asked if seeing Carlton Davis and Dean being in the league gives him confidence. "Those guys are my brothers. I was out here with them — nights when no one else was out here, putting in the extra work. All the little things that it takes to be great at the next level.
"Now I feel like I'm next up — me and Noah."
The NFL draft is set to begin April 23. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said yesterday that the draft will continue as scheduled in a virtual capacity, as there will be no in-person events in Las Vegas as previously planned amid national coronavirus concerns.
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