Carl Davis was talking with a group of media after Thursday's preseason opener when a reporter asked if he knew how many snaps he'd just played.
"A lot," the rookie defensive tackle said with a smile.
Fellow defensive lineman Brandon Williams then shouted from the next locker, "we call him rep-man."
The nickname was well earned.
Davis hardly came off the field during the 30-27 victory. He started the game because a foot injury kept Timmy Jernigan sidelined, and then he played deep into the fourth quarter.
"He played a bunch of snaps, played them all hard," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "Basically, we played him until he cramped up at the end, and we finally dragged him off the field and let someone else go in and play."
The third-round pick made the most of his reps, as he was the most disruptive player on Baltimore's defensive front. He consistently pushed the pocket to clog the running lanes and also generated a solid pass rush.
Davis finished the night with three tackles, a batted pass and a quarterback pressure. He was Baltimore's highest graded player (plus-2.8), according to Pro Football Focus.
"Coach told me starting this week I was going to play a whole lot, and I went and took the challenge,"
Davis said. "I just went out and tried to show them what I got."
Davis, an* *Iowa product, has garnered some attention recently as a potential steal of this year's draft class. He came into the NFL motivated after falling deep into the second day of the draft, and he's tasked with helping replace perennial Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata.
The Ravens need production from Davis along a defensive line that has already been hit with injuries, and the rookie showed Thursday night that he's ready for a big workload.
"They drafted me here for a reason and that's to make plays," Davis said. "I'm just trying to be that person. I just went out there and tried to do the best I could."
