Jarrad Davis became the Detroit Lions' latest first-round pick last week, a linebacker who could end up starting right away in the middle of the team’s defense.

The franchise judged this based off Davis’ play at Florida, where he became a team captain. But when Florida’s coaches signed Davis, did they know what they were getting in the No. 47 linebacker nationally according to ESPN after he flipped from Auburn to Florida?

His recruiter with the Gators, now-Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin, offered some insight.

Q: How involved were you in his recruitment?

Durkin: I recruited him. I was the linebacker coach and defensive coordinator at the time so I got to know him and his mom very well. You guys got, you can’t give higher praise, character-wise, to a young man than Jarrad. They don’t make them any better than that.

Q: What was it like the first time you saw him?

Durkin: We saw him at a practice in the spring and what stands out, first of all, is just his elite quickness and burst and short-area quickness and the way he can run. The guy was dynamic that way, very physical and tough. Those are the physical attributes that stand out on the field. Once you get to know him and his mom and their story, it’s really cool. The whole world would be a better place if there were more parents like Amy.

Q: Why?

Durkin: She’s just, she’s on it. She’s a great person, caring person, loves him but is no-nonsense. A lot of the reasons he is the way he is is because of his mom and she’s no-nonsense. She holds him accountable.

Q: Were there examples in either recruitment or when you were coaching him that told you that’s how he became him?

Durkin: I mean, I can’t word-for-word remember the entire story, but she had him live in the garage at one point because he didn’t have his room clean or something along those lines. She’s on it. There’s a tremendous amount of respect between both of them and it’s one of those things where they have a great relationship. I think sometimes you see parents too hard on their kids and they take it too far because there’s not the other end of it where you love and support them as well. She’s an example of both. She was very hard on Jarrad but also always there for him and did a tremendous job with him.

Q: What was the recruitment like to get him? Pretty intense?

Durkin: He was a highly recruited guy. South Georgia is s a great area of football. Obviously a lot of teams, especially in the SEC, recruit that area, as well as Florida State. So it wasn’t like he was off the radar where no one knew about him. We were certainly glad that he ended up [at Florida]. I’m very glad that I had the experience and the time to coach him and be a part of it.

Q: Feeling like when you got him?

Durkin: There’s always something involved with recruiting. You spend a lot of time. There’s always ups and downs around signing day. I think Jarrad, we were extremely excited. We knew while we recruited him that we had a great one, just because you knew, sometimes you’re recruiting a great athlete or a guy that you think is a really good player and you know there are maybe some character flaws or issues or things off the field that you have to deal with. A lot of those turn out right. A lot of them don’t. It kind of goes either way. Then you come across a guy like that, as long as he stays healthy, he’s a no-brainer: Great player, future captain, future NFL player.

Q: What’s your favorite story about him?

Durkin: I just think, when he got there, probably one of the toughest players I ever coached was Antonio Morrison. He was already there playing linebacker for us. He says it all, more than a guy grabbing the attention of the coaching staff, as coaches you look at things a little differently than players do and you can see the potential in a guy in the future, which sometimes players don’t. Jarrad, it took one or two practices with the pads on where he had his teammates, Antonio alike, they were talking about him, just how physical he is. He’s a tough, tough human being. He will strike you. He earned the respect of his teammates in the room and that’s a hard thing to do. A bunch of guys that are really talented themselves just don’t hand out respect. He earned that right away. I can totally recall those guys, the way they were talking about him and the way they embraced him and brought him into the room. Like, ‘Hey man, you’re one of us.’ That happened right away.

Q: How did he do that?

Durkin: In everything he does. Like I said, he’s very physical in practice. The way he approached things, we play a tough, physical sport and tough people stand out and that’s what Jarrad is.

Q: Were there times you had to rein that back?

Durkin: No, we love it. We encourage that. He’s a great example of that.

Q: Is there a hit that stands out? Or that first hit that wowed you?

Durkin: He had some great hits on kickoffs, I can recall, his freshman year. That’s really where he stood out and grabbed the attention of a lot of people. There’s some highlights of that stuff where he’s running down and taking on blockers and making plays on kickoffs. Obviously that’s one of the most physical plays in a game and it takes guys with some real courage and want-to to stand out on those units. That’s really where he started to make a name for himself. He was in the rotation at linebacker, but he really earned his stripes on special teams.