Bengals draft UW Huskies CB Tacario Davis 72nd overall

The Cincinnati Bengals selected UW Huskies cornerback Tacario Davis in the third  round with the 72nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday.

The 21-year-old Davis is one of the most physically imposing corners in this year’s draft, measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 194 pounds. He pairs that size with speed, as his 4.41-second 40-yard dash was tied for fifth among cornerbacks at the scouting combine.

NFL Draft: Browns pick UW Huskies WR Denzel Boston 39th overall

A Long Beach, Calif., native, Davis had three passes defended, two interceptions and one tackle for loss while being limited to seven games by rib and hamstring injuries during his lone season at UW. He held quarterbacks to a 50.6 passer rating while allowing 15 receptions for 146 yards and one TD on 28 targets.

Prior to arriving at UW, Davis spent three seasons with the Arizona Wildcats. He began his college career as a defensive end before moving to cornerback as a sophomore. After the position switch, Davis was a two-year starter and registered 21 passes defended, 2.5 tackles for loss and one interception over 25 games.

Davis is the eighth UW defensive back taken in the NFL Draft since 2017. He was also the program’s second pick in this year’s draft, joining wide receiver Denzel Boston, who went 39th overall to the Cleveland Browns.

Below is what NFL.com’s draft profile had to say about Davis.

Davis is more disruptive than productive with size, length and strength to reroute releases from press. He slams catch windows closed when he’s in the neighborhood. While his physical traits make a wideout’s job tougher, their route-running prowess can do the same to Davis. He’s average matching breaks and more complicated routes tend to shake him. His long arms help him defend throws from deep zone and make tackles in the open field. An NFL staff should be able to coax more consistent run support from him. He’ll be tagged as a zone corner, but his eyes and range could earn him free safety consideration.

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