Keionta Davis goes through a pass rushing drill during UTC's pro day last month at Finley Stadium.From the time they stepped on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus as freshmen in 2012, Keionta Davis and Corey Levin began forming a large part of the foundation of the football teams that won 42 games during their time with the Mocs.
They might take their next step together, too.
Davis and Levin are on a very long list of players who hope to hear their names announced among the 253 selections in this year's NFL draft, which starts tonight in Philadelphia. They're not necessarily long shots, but they're not guaranteed picks, either.
Davis is ranked as the No. 19 defensive end in the draft by CBS Sports and projected as a sixth- or seventh-round pick by CBS and NFL.com. Levin is ranked as the No. 18 offensive guard and is a seventh-round or free-agent projection by CBS.
The process has been mind-boggling at times for the UTC hopefuls, but the good thing is it's almost over. Whether by being drafted or through free agency, both - as well as teammates such as linebacker Nakevion Leslie, defensive end Vantrel McMillan and receiver C.J. Board - could find themselves on NFL rosters by the end of the week.
That same process also brought Davis and Levin - who battled each other on the practice field for three of their five seasons (both redshirted in 2012) - even closer to one another.
"That speaks to the kind of guys that UTC is recruiting, the coaches that were here and we had the pleasure of working with," Levin said Wednesday. "We had some great coaches give us a lot of knowledge. To come in with guys with the same dream, working just as hard as I did, as this process got closer, our friendship got better."
The two have talked about potential agents and scouts, and they helped each other prepare for what to expect going into different meetings.
"We kind of had each other's backs, and I think that's really good for us," Levin said.
They had no common teams in terms of visits. Levin met with New Orleans and Denver but admitted he would love the opportunity to play for Atlanta - about 45 minutes from his hometown of Dacula - or Tennessee, where he would love to relocate after his playing career is over.
Davis met with representatives from Jacksonville, San Diego and Tennessee, and he visited Atlanta. He is projected more as a linebacker at the pro level, and a couple of teams worked him out as an outside linebacker for a possible move in a 3-4 defense.
Levin plans to watch the entire draft at home in Dacula, but he will have more of a rooting interest Friday.
"I'll see who takes who and see what teams continue to look for offensive linemen come Saturday, but it's here now and there's nothing else I can control," he said. "The hay's in the barn now.
"Whether I go in the fourth round or (as a) free agent, everyone shows up to rookie mini-camp, and they've got to perform the same as first-rounders."
A three-time All-American and two-time recipient of the Southern Conference's Jacobs Blocking Award, given to the league's best offensive lineman, Levin said that while he wouldn't mind hearing his name called, he's really just hoping to get the best fit.
"If I don't necessarily fit their scheme, I would rather go (as a) free agent to the scheme that fits what I do best and the depth chart that's more open," he said, "so I have a better chance of making the roster or practice squad. I'll go to any team, though. It doesn't matter. It's been my dream, so whatever happens happens."
Davis was once uncertain if college football was in his future. A torn ACL in August 2011 stripped the Red Bank High School graduate of a number of potential opportunities, but he stayed the course, accepted a partial scholarship to UTC and went on to wreak havoc in the SoCon. The man who calls himself "Sir Sacks A Lot" on Twitter had 31 of them in his career, including 24 his final two years, and was the SoCon defensive player of the year in 2016.
If he is picked, it would be the second consecutive draft in which a former Chattanooga-area high school player heard his named called. Vonn Bell, who briefly played at Central before starring at Georgia's Ridgeland and eventually going to Ohio State, was taken in the second round by New Orleans last year.
It would also be the second time in three seasons a Moc has been drafted. Davis Tull was taken by New Orleans in 2015.
"I plan on watching most of the draft," Davis said. "I want to keep up because there are guys I worked out with about to get drafted."
Now that the evaluation process is over and players have been completely analyzed, the wait truly begins.
"It really hasn't hit me yet," Levin said. "It's all pretty surreal. It's something I've dreamed about since I was 5 years old, when I first started playing football. I'm just excited to get to the highest level of football and see what I can do. I've dreamed about it - I've had a crazy passion for football my whole life - and my friends and family are all excited for me, and I'll see where I can take it.
"You can really set up a great future for your family and your kids with this opportunity in the NFL, so it's going to be a neat experience."
There were tears when Davis signed with UTC in 2012. He admitted there would probably be more if he hears his name this weekend.
"It's been a long road, a long grind," he said. "You don't really see it coming, but time flies. You've got to adjust and make the best of your time. I look at all the sacrifices I've made to get where I'm getting to go, and it's going to be an emotional day, but there will be relief when I know all the efforts have paid off."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.