Vernon Davis Vernon Leonard Davis ( born January 31 , 1984 ) is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted in the 1st round ( 6th overall ) of the 2006 NFL Draft by the 49ers . Upon entering the league , Davis signed to a 5 - year , $ 23 million deal that made him the highest paid tight end at the time . He joined Kellen Winslow Jr . as the fourth highest tight end ever drafted after Ron Kramer , ( Green Bay , No . 4 in 1957 ) Mike Ditka ( Chicago , No . 5 in 1961 ) and Riley Odoms ( Denver , No . 5 in 1972 ) . After three mediocre , injury - riddled seasons Davis finally broke out in 2009 , co - leading the NFL in touchdown receptions . In the 2011 playoffs , Davis caught the game winning touchdown pass from Alex Smith against the New Orleans Saints , now referred to as " The Grab , " or " The Catch III , " in regards to " The Catch " by Dwight Clark in 1982 and " The Catch II " by Terrell Owens in 1999 . Davis is considered one of the top tight ends in the NFL . Early life . Davis attended Dunbar High School in Washington , D . C . , and was a letterman in football , basketball , and track & field . Regarded as a four - star recruit by " Rivals . com " , Davis was listed as the No . 4 tight end prospect of the class of 2003 . In track & field , he was the DCIAA champion in the high jump with a jump of . While attending at Dunbar , he was teammates with future Cleveland Browns kick return specialist and wide receiver , Joshua Cribbs . High School football . Davis played tight end and safety but he also played wide receiver , kick returner , linebacker and defensive end . In his senior season he caught 21 passes for 511 yards and 5 touchdowns , despite missing three games with a deep bone bruise below his knee . He also caught three two point conversions and returned two kick offs and two punts for touchdowns . He had 35 receptions for 385 yards as a junior . College career . Davis played college football at the University of Maryland , where he majored in studio art . In 2003 , Davis saw the most consistent action of any true freshman , playing in all thirteen contests . He had five receptions for 87 yards ( 11 . 8 avg ) and led the kickoff coverage unit with eight solo tackles . In 2004 , he played in every game , starting at H - back against Northern Illinois , Duke , Georgia Tech , Clemson , Virginia Tech and Wake Forest . He finished second on the team with 27 catches for 441 yards and had 16 . 3 avg and three touchdowns . In 2005 , Davis was a Consensus All - American and All - Atlantic Coast Conference first - team selection . He was a finalist for the Mackey Award , given to the nation ’ s top tight end . He started every game , leading the team with 51 receptions and the conference with 871 receiving yards ( 17 . 1 avg ) . His six touchdown catches rank tenth on the school ' s season - record list . His 51 receptions also rank tenth on the Terps ’ annual record chart while his 871 yards rank fifth . He was graded 82 . 5 % for blocking consistency as he registered 67 knockdowns , including 18 blocks down field and had eight touchdown - resulting blocks . Davis was heavily involved with working out in college . He set school strength records ( in spring of 2005 ) for a tight end in the bench press ( 465 pounds ) , power - clean ( 355 pounds ) , index ( 797 pounds ) and squat ( 685 pounds ) . He finished his college career with 1371 yards on 83 receptions for 16 . 5 yards per catch , the best average of any first round tight end ever and more yards than other previous high first round tight ends such as Tony Gonzalez , Jeremy Shockey , Kyle Brady and Kellen Winslow II . Professional career . 2006 NFL Draft . Davis was selected 6th overall in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers . He was the top tight end prospect in the NFL Draft , partially due to a strong performance at the scouting combine . He ran the 40 yard dash in 4 . 38 seconds . Davis also broad - jumped 10 ' 08 " , nearly a foot farther than the next - best tight end , Marcedes Lewis . Leading up to the draft , Vernon , along with fellow prospects A . J . Hawk and Jeremy Bloom , appeared in ads for Under Armour ' s new line of football cleats , with the slogan " Click Clack " ( I think you hear us coming ) . San Francisco 49ers . 2006 rookie season . Vernon ' s first reception in the NFL was a 31 - yard touchdown catch , against the Arizona Cardinals on September 10 , 2006 . He added a career - long 52 - yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers on December 10 with a short catch followed by a long run . Davis played in ten games in the 2006 season due an injury he suffered on September 24 , 2006 . He sustained a hairline fracture to his left fibula , on a non - contact play against the Philadelphia Eagles , but returned on November 19 against the Seattle Seahawks . For the season , he had 265 yards receiving on 20 catches , averaging 13 . 2 yards per reception . He also had three receiving touchdowns . 2007 season . In Week 3 , Davis was injured while attempting to catch a pass from quarterback Alex Smith against the Steelers . Davis sprained his right knee and missed the next two games . Despite his injury and the 49ers ' offensive ineptitude , Davis bettered most of the numbers from his rookie season . Even though his yards per reception diminished , he finished the season with 52 receptions for 509 yards and four touchdowns . 2008 season . During October , after catching a seven - yard pass in the third quarter , Davis slapped Seahawks safety Brian Russell in the facemask , resulting in a 15 - yard penalty , causing Coach Mike Singletary to bench him and then send him to the locker room for the game ' s remainder . After the game , Mike Singletary then spoke his famous " I want winners " rant . This resulted in Vernon Davis changing his attitude from himself , to the team . The following game Vernon Davis leaped over a Cardinal defender and caught a pass from Shaun Hill resulting in a touchdown , his first of the season . He started all 16 regular season games , and finished the season with 31 receptions for 358 yards , and two touchdowns . 2009 season . Through week 11 of the season , Davis led the NFL with nine touchdown receptions , tied with wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss . In the final game of the season , he tied the all - time record for most touchdown receptions for a tight end in a single season ( 13 ) , sharing the record set by Antonio Gates in 2004 ; that record stood until 2011 , when it was broken by Rob Gronkowski . He was also selected to appear in his first Pro Bowl . 2010 season . Before the season , he was awarded a five - year contract extension for 65 million with $ 23 million guaranteed . The deal made Davis the league ' s highest paid tight end . Against the Oakland Raiders in week six , he recorded his third straight game with a touchdown catch . Davis finished the season with 56 catches and 914 yards , resulting in 16 . 3 yards per catch . 2011 season . Davis had 67 receptions for 792 yards with 6 touchdowns that year , helping the 49ers win the NFC West and make the postseason for the first time since the 2002 season . In the playoffs in the divisional round against the New Orleans Saints , he had seven receptions for 180 yards , breaking Kellen Winslow ' s record ( 166 ) for most yards by a tight end in a playoff game . He scored two touchdowns , and on the game - winning drive , he had a critical 47 - yard reception that put the 49ers in a position to tie the game . With nine seconds remaining , Davis caught the game winning touchdown pass from Alex Smith , now referred to as " The Grab , " or " The Catch III . " Davis caught three passes for 112 yards and another two touchdown against the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game , but the 49ers lost 20 – 17 in overtime . 2012 season . During the 2012 season , Davis caught 41 passes for 548 yards and 5 touchdowns . The 49ers would eventually enter the NFC Championship for the second straight season to face off against the Atlanta Falcons . Despite trailing 0 - 17 , the 49ers won the NFC Championship game against the Falcons 28 - 24 , allowing the 49ers to enter the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years . Personal . Davis was a studio art major at Maryland . Davis is nicknamed Duke because he looks identical to his father , whose name is Duke . College teammates later changed his nickname to " The Duke , " and " Cyborg " , a nickname earned playing for the Maryland Terrapins . Davis ' brother , Vontae , is currently a cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts . Davis ' brother , Michael Davis , was arrested in the Petworth area of Washington , D . C . on Thursday , April 27 , 2012 for two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed . Michael is suspected of three similar attacks for which there is an investigation but no charge . Davis made a cameo appearance in the music video for the song " Get Lo " by Ron Artest and Mike Jones . Davis also made an appearance on " Pretty Wild " . Davis is an avid curling fan and player . He hosted an event for his charity in San Jose , CA in which the event was curling . Davis was named honorary captain of the Men ' s U . S . Olympic Curling team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . He attended most of the team ' s matches and is considered an ambassador for the game . Ahead of the 2010 game against the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium in London , Davis announced that he is a fan of the English premiership team West Ham United . In late 2010 , Davis founded Modern Class Design ( MCD ) with business partner Antone Barnes . Modern Class Design is a full - service fine arts and interior design company that offers comprehensive design services for homes and commercial spaces including interiors and landscape architecture . Vernon Davis also owns a chain of Jamba Juice Franchises . In December 2012 , Davis opened Gallery 85 on Santana Row in San Jose , Ca . , an art gallery for new and emerging artists giving them access to high end exposure .