On Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Tacario Davis achieved his dream, reaching a historic milestone on his football journey.
With the eighth pick of the third round, and the 72nd overall selection in this year’s draft, the former Millikan High cornerback had his name called by the Cincinnati Bengals, officially welcoming him to the National Football League.
“Man, it’s a blessing,” said Davis of being drafted. “Not a lot of people get to experience that, especially where I come from and the school I went to. I wouldn’t say I quite ‘made it’, it’s a turn in the right direction, another opportunity, and it’s just getting started.”
When the announcement was made official, Davis was at a watch party surrounded by dozens of friends and family members, including his former coach at Millikan, Romeo Pellum, who got to see one of his players drafted for the first time.
“Being a part of his whole process from when he was (at Millikan) to now, it’s just like watching a kid’s dream become a reality. It’s a special moment,” Pellum said. “I got emotional because I know what it means to him and how hard he’s worked.”
Davis, better known by his nickname “Bobo,” is a 6-foot-4 cornerback out of the University of Washington, who started his college career at Arizona before transferring last season. He started just seven games as a senior due to injury, but his body of work had already established him as an NFL talent. He seems like a good fit with a Bengals roster that was in need of help in the secondary, and Pellum knows Davis will look to earn playing time as soon as possible.
“Whenever you’re 6-4 and you can run a 4.4 (40-yard dash) and you can play press man, you have a chance to play in that league,” Pellum said of Davis’ chances to contribute early. “I know his mindset is to go in there and learn, but I know he’s going in there to compete. He’s hungry. He wants to play at the highest level, and he’s been doing that, so he’s eager to get there and work.”
Following the draft, the team flew Davis out to Cincinnati to check out the team facility and get officially announced by the organization. He said that’s the moment where the emotions of Draft Day really hit him.
“I’m not a very emotional person, like I won’t cry in front of people, but when I got on the flight and I went to Cincinnati, I was crying. But tears of joy, of course,” said Davis as he thought back to his experience watching the draft with his loved ones. “I was just excited, and seeing my whole family and friends there, you dream about that moment. It was really a blessing.”
By going in the third round, Davis became the highest draft pick from Long Beach since 2017, when former Jordan High wide receiver John Ross was taken with the ninth overall selection. Coincidentally, Ross was also drafted by the Bengals out of the University of Washington.
As one of the tallest corners in this year’s draft, Davis’ length and physicality at the line of scrimmage have always been a strength. In 2024, while playing at Arizona, he was named second team All-Big 12 and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation’s top defensive back.
In 2023, during his sophomore season, Davis led the Pac-12 with 15 pass breakups, and was named second-team All-Pac 12 by the Associated Press.
Davis is the latest in a line of defensive backs to be drafted out of Long Beach recently. Long Beach Poly alum Alex Austin was drafted in the 7th Round of the 2023 draft by the Buffalo Bills, Poly’s Jack Jones went in the 4th round of the 2022 draft to the New England Patriots, and fellow Jackrabbit Iman Marshall was drafted in the 4th Round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.
It’s also a significant milestone for Millikan’s program. According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Rams’ last NFL Draft selection was all the way back in 1982, when defensive back Tom Morris went in the seventh round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Defensive end Greg Sampson remains Millikan’s highest draft selection ever, going sixth overall in the 1972 draft.
Now with Davis headed to the league, he’s blazing a trail for the next generation of football stars by reaching his potential and achieving his dream.
“Everyone saw it. He was a special player, man,” Pellum said of Davis. “The big thing about it is, he gave a lot of kids hope in Long Beach. And that’s what it’s about.”
