It may have taken Kentucky RB Ray Davis multiple stops to find the right home, but his final collegiate season as a Wildcat helped boost his 2024 NFL Draft stock entering the professional ranks.
Does Davis’ scouting report suggest he can be a three-down back at the NFL level?
Ray Davis’ Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 5’8″
- Weight: 211
- Position: RB
- School: Kentucky
- Current year: Senior
- Hand: 8 7/8″
- Arm: 30 1/4″
Davis enjoyed a very productive prep career during his high school days in New Jersey, rushing for 4,815 yards and 59 touchdowns on 375 carries. He also proved at his core that he’s a competitor who loves to be on the field, with 80 tackles and six interceptions splitting time as a high school DB.
Davis originally joined the Temple Owls to start his college career and made an impact as a true freshman, running for 905 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019. After a drop in production during his sophomore campaign, he transferred to Vanderbilt.
Top returning #SEC running backs (by yards per game in the 2022 season):
1⃣ Quinshon Judkins (120.38)
2⃣ Raheim Sanders (111.00)
3⃣ Ray Davis (86.63) 🎥
4⃣ Jaylen Wright (67.31)
5⃣ Montrell Johnson Jr. (64.69)pic.twitter.com/MWdGHu2llJ— College Football Network (@CFN365) July 17, 2023
Davis’ first season with the Commodores ended with a devastating season-ending knee injury after just three games. He would finally return to form in 2022 with his career-high 1,042 yards and five scores, becoming just the 10th player in Vanderbilt history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.
Surprisingly, Davis transferred to Kentucky ahead of the 2023 season instead of turning pro but proved the decision was the correct one pretty quickly, rushing for a new career-high 1,129 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
Davis’ rushing production has been solid, but his pass-catching work should not be overlooked. He caught 94 passes for 762 yards and 12 touchdowns over his collegiate career.
Davis’ Scouting Report
Strengths
- Plays with elite leverage and quality leg drive; Shoulder pads always seem to get lower than oncoming defenders at the point of attack.
- Surprises defenders in 1-on-1 scenarios with more hitch in his giddy-up than expected; Can stick his foot in the ground and generate the required force to accelerate to the edge or change directions with violent feet near contact.
- Regularly showcases patience and play-design discipline while navigating through traffic on the first level; Shows some deception with how he presses the hole late in the rep.
- Exceptional contact balance; Low center of gravity and strong legs allow Davis to maintain a strong base when attempting to dismiss undisciplined tacklers and immediately burst upfield.
- Strong finisher as a ball carrier; Wakes up in the morning and chooses violence when he decides to take the fight to the oncoming defender.
- Long speed won’t always be a threat in the NFL, but a long touchdown run against Florida in 2023 suggests he isn’t just a three-yard grinder at the next level.
- Top-shelf hip fluidity; Drops his hips effortlessly and can gear back up to top speed quickly in tight quarters.
- Open-field creativity speaks to natural elusiveness despite lack of elite athletic traits; Great timing for shifting directions at the last second to leave open-field defenders grasping at air.
- Reliable and consistent contributor as a pass catcher with soft hands who instantly turns into a ball carrier after the catch.
- Ball security is a plus.
Weaknesses
- Can duck his head a bit too early to brace for contact when making his reads.
- Some faulty reads and missed opportunities when trying to identify cutback lanes in the trenches.
- Long speed could limit explosive run potential at the next level.
- A lot of miles on the tires entering the NFL for an older RB prospect.
- Burst and lateral agility could be exposed if he doesn’t see the same level of success forcing broken tackles at the next level.
- Medical report contains a season-ending knee injury.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Davis flashed legit three-down capabilities as a ball carrier and pass catcher during his collegiate career. However, his five-year stint in college and injury history could certainly drop him down the board when the 2024 NFL Draft rolls around.
Davis showcases a nice feel for timing, tempo variation, and burst when acquiring information during the reading process in both gap and zone schemes.
His testing metrics put him in the category of a nice athletic profile but not elite. Davis’ contact balance and physicality help him generate broken tackles and squeeze out the extra tough yards most times he touches the ball.
KEEP READING: Top RBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Davis’ ability to contribute in passing situations with soft, reliable hands, effective play strength, and willingness as a pass protector means he’s far from a one-trick pony as an RB prospect. Yet, the lack of explosive athleticism, advanced age, and injury history likely make him a solid Day 3 prospect who can contribute when his number is called.
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