Corey Davis Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Former top-five pick surprisingly steps away from NFL

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 8/23/23

A former top-five pick has surprisingly announced he is stepping away from the NFL at the age of 28.

Wide receiver Corey Davis, who was in training camp with the New York Jets, announced Wednesday that he is stepping away from the league.

Davis said in an Instagram post that he had been considering retirement “for some time,” and that he felt stepping away was “the best path for me at this time.”

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A post shared by Corey Davis (@coreydavis84)

After an elite career at Western Michigan, the Tennessee Titans picked Davis No. 5 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He never quite developed as they would hope, topping out at 984 receiving yards in 2020, which turned out to be his final season with the organization. He latched on with the Jets and played the last two seasons there, tallying six receiving touchdowns in 22 games.

Davis will go down as one of the higher-profile members of what turned out to be an underwhelming 2017 draft class. He does, however, get to leave the game on his own terms.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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