Auburn football: Will Hastings and Javaris Davis both land on their feet

Two recently-cut Auburn pros are getting another chance to pursue their NFL dreams.

This past weekend, two former Auburn football players were unfortunately cut from their respective NFL teams. Both signed as undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft, making the NFL was already an uphill battle for both Will Hastings and Javaris Davis.

And when the two former Auburn stars failed to make the first round of cuts as teams slim their rosters down to 80 players, things didn’t look great. However, it didn’t take long at all for both Davis and Hastings to land on their feet.

Hastings, a former wide receiver and walk-on kicker at Auburn was signed as an UDFA by the New England Patriots. The team announced that they were releasing the 5-foot-10 wideout along with eight other players on Sunday but just over 24 hours later, the team decided to re-sign Hastings.

The decision to re-sign the former Auburn pass-catcher may be a result of several Patriots players opting out of the upcoming season due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Hastings is also a viable option for New England due to his already established chemistry with Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Stidham and Hastings had their best respective seasons together in 2018 when Hastings caught 26 balls for 525 yards and four touchdowns.

As for Javaris Davis, the former Auburn cornerback saw his draft stock drop mainly due to concerns over his size. (listed at 5-foot-8 and 183 pounds). Still, Davis recorded a career-high 43 tackles and added six passes defended and two interceptions last season as a redshirt senior for Auburn.

And despite a blazing fast 4.39 forty-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine, Davis went undrafted in April. Davis was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs after the draft but the team announced they were releasing the speedy defensive back this weekend.

Unlike Hastings, Davis has found a new NFL home. After clearing waivers, Davis was picked up by the Miami Dolphins. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Davis will team back up with fellow Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, who was selected in the first round by Miami this year.

four-year NFL veteran and Auburn legend Ricardo Louis was also released this weekend (Miami Dolphins) but no news has come out yet about Louis finding a new team.

Auburn’s number of players on NFL rosters is now at 43 across 20 NFL teams with New England having seven former Tigers on their roster.