No. 27 -- DT Carl Davis

During an interview after signing day, Davis called himself a “late bloomer” in football. He only started getting serious about the game around 2008. During his junior season for Adlai Stevenson (Sterling Heights, Mich.) High School, he played defensive and offensive tackle while helping the school to the Division I state finals where it fell to Detroit Catholic Central, 31-21. He had 58 tackles and seven sacks. He also had 11 scholarship offers including Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois.

The conversation showed an acute awareness of technique.

“I believe I play low and am quick on my feet as far as pass rushing,” Davis said. “When it comes to run blocking, I have advantages and disadvantages, but when it comes to pass rushing, I play well. Usually, I was quicker than my opponents. Or my arm length was too much for them. I could push, pull and throw them away anyway I want to.”

Takeoff 2012: Davis hasn't seen meaningful minutes on the field. He'll be a third-year sophomore this fall coming off a knee surgery in January. On the knee, Iowa coaches were in "all systems go" mode.

The skill remains a question mark. The knee kept him off the field for the last five games of 2011. He also missed spring.

"The expectations for him will be extremely high because he's played, but he is a young guy," first-year D-line coach Reese Morgan said this spring. "He is a young guy, but I'm impressed with his knowledge of the defense and the fundamentals."

Davis is rated No. 27 on this list because of what he could mean to the '12 Hawkeyes.