Davon Montel Godchaux (born November 11, 1994) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the LSU Tigers from 2014 to 2016. He was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft, and played for the team from 2017 to 2020.

Early life

A native of

Plaquemine, Louisiana Plaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. At the 2010 United States census, ...

, Godchaux attended Plaquemine Senior High School, where he was an All-State

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

. He compiled 60

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 22 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks in his junior season in 2012, which earned him first-team All-State honors for Class 4A. In the season opener of his senior year, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, causing him to miss the rest of the season. Nonetheless he was honored as a U.S. Army All-American and attended the bowl game. Regarded as a four-star recruit, Godchaux was ranked as the No. 22

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

prospect by

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. He chose LSU over offers from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, Auburn, and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, among others.

College career

At LSU, Godchaux started 26 games for the Tigers in three seasons. He took over as a starter after three games into his true freshman season in 2014, and he has served as a rotating player at defensive end in LSU’s

3–4 defense In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down Defensive lineman, linemen and four linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it will readily switch to other defensive alignments (such as ...

. As a junior, Godchaux recorded 62 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one pass defensed, and two

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recoveries. He declared for the 2017 NFL draft the day after the 2016 Citrus Bowl.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Godchaux pulled a hamstring during the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

and could not complete all drills.

Miami Dolphins

Godchaux was drafted by the

in the fifth round, 178th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft. Godchaux was placed on the reserve/

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list by the team on August 5, 2020, and was activated from the list two days later. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on October 16, 2020.

New England Patriots

Godchaux signed a two-year contract with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

on March 23, 2021. He signed a contract extension with the team on July 27, 2022. On July 31, 2024, Godchaux and the Patriots agreed to a two–year, $16.5 million contract extension.

New Orleans Saints

On March 12, 2025, Godchaux was traded to the

References

External links

* *
New Orleans Saints bio

LSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godchaux, Davon 1994 births Living people People from Plaquemine, Louisiana American football defensive tackles LSU Tigers football players Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Louisiana