Former Wildcats Due for a Breakout Season in the 2021 NFL Season

The Hall of Fame Weekend festivities have officially kicked off the 2021 NFL Season with Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Dallas Cowboys 16-3. Two former Wildcats, Kelvin Joseph and Quinton Bohanna got quite a few reps in the young Cowboys’ defense.

While those two work their way up depth charts after being Day two and three picks, here are some former Wildcats poised for a huge 2021 Season.

Za’Darius Smith

With Aaron Rodgers returning to Green Bay, at least for one more season, Za’Darius Smith is in a great position to make it deep into the postseason. In his third season with the Packers, Smith hopes to lead Green Bay’s defense to a third NFC Championship Game in as many seasons. This time, hopefully to a win. In the 2019 season, the Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers who only attempted eight passes while rushing for 285 touchdowns and four touchdowns. The following season the Packers lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with plenty of blame to go on the Green Bay defense.

But, with the mojo back in Titletown and a defense that returns one of the best edge rushers in the NFC, a top-two cornerback in Jaire Alexander, the Packers have all the tools to make a legitimate run at their first Super Bowl appearance in a decade, but the emphasis is on Za’Darius Smith and Green Bay’s ability to stop the run.

Top 10 edge rushers in Madden NFL 22:

Myles Garrett: 98
Khalil Mack: 96
TJ Watt: 94
Chandler Jones: 94
JJ Watt: 94
Cameron Jordan: 93
Von Miller: 93
Joey Bosa: 92
Nick Bosa: 90
Za’Darius Smith: 89

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 27, 2021

Rated an 89 overall in Madden 22, Smith will surely look to raise his ranking from the 10^th best edge rusher, looking to replicate his past two seasons with Green Bay. Smith has had back-to-back seasons with over 10 sacks, with 13.5 in 2019 and 12.5 in 2020, with contract negotiations looming for Smith (and Adams and Rodgers) it’s paramount he has a good season in Green Bay to keep the relatively good times in Green Bay going under Matt LeFleur.

Josh Allen

As a Pro Bowler in 2019 where he started four games and garnered 10.5 sacks and 39 pressures as a rookie, Allen’s sophomore slump had a major impact on the former Wildcat. He only started seven games with a drastic decrease in production falling to 2.5 sacks and only 14 pressures. due to a nagging knee injury that kept him sidelined for a chunk of the Jaguars 1-15 campaign a year ago.

Now, with a new coaching regime in town, Allen is set for a bounce-back 2021where he can return to his normal self.

Josh Allen is out here tossing offensive linemen 😳 @JoshAllen41_ @Jaguars

(h/t @dlinevids1) pic.twitter.com/5mI10ZbRIo

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 18, 2020

With a full offseason under his belt with new head coach Urban Meyer and defensive staff that will move him back to outside linebacker transitioning back to the 3-4 defense under coordinator Joe Cullen, Josh Allen will be looking for his second double-digit sack season in three years.

Jamin Davis

Rookie 1st rounder Jamin Davis at middle linebacker with Washington starting defense. Same as we saw in minicamp.

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 28, 2021

Rookie Jamin Davis enters into a situation where the defensive line in front of him is stacked with talent including Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, and Matthew Ioannidis. Coming in as the middle linebacker for the Washington Football Team, coaches and scouts have raved about Davis’ quickness on the field, his ability to cover sideline-to-sideline, as well as his aggressiveness against the run. He finished his only starting season for the Wildcats with a team-high 102 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Jamin Davis could not have stepped into a better situation, he could play a pivotal role on one of the top five defenses in the NFL.

As we get closer to NFL season, ‘Cats in the NFL coverage is soon to ramp up. Stick with us for plenty of preseason coverage.