Ernie Davis

[IAmNietzche]

Just got done watching The Express (which was alright) and it got me thinking, how good would Ernie Davis have been in the NFL?

I know college stats aren't a very good indicator for success in the NFL but I think it's interesting to look at him in comparison to his obvious foil, Jim Brown.

Jim Brown 6-2, 212lbs
1954: 75 carries | 439 yards | 5.9 avg. | 4 td
1955: 128 carries | 666 yards | 5.2 avg. | 7 td
1956: 158 carries | 986 yards | 6.2 avg. | 13 td
TOTALS: 361 carries | 2,091 yards | 5.8 avg. | 24 td

Ernie Davis 6-2, 210lbs
1959: 98 carries | 686 yards | 7.0 avg. | 8 td
1960: 112 carries | 877 yards | 7.8 avg. | 8 td
1961: 150 carries | 823 yards | 5.5 avg. | 12 td
TOTALS: 360 carries | 2,386 yards | 6.6 avg. | 28 td

As I said, I know college stats are no indication of NFL success, but I think Ernie could have been an incredible NFL back. At the very least, it's amazing to think how good that Browns backfield would have been with both Brown and Davis.

So what do you think, could he have been better than Brown?

[CubbyNick42]

No. It's possible, maybe even likely, that he would have been a standout NFL back, but Jim Brown was a once-in-a-generation-type talent. With no knowledge of his ability other than the movie story, just from a probability standpoint, there are far more great college runners than in the NFL.

[FondestMemory]

he would have been serviceable and had a nice career, but he wouldn't even come close to being anywhere near brown's level.

jim brown is the best rb to ever play the game. ernie davis wouldn't have cracked the top 10.