Ray Davis 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile

Ray Davis 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile

Position: RB

School: Kentucky 

Class: Senior 

Date of Birth: November 11, 1999

Height: 5-8  Weight: 211 lbs

Athletic Testing

Bio

Ray Davis, whose given name is Re’Mahn, attended both Trinity-Pawling school in New York and Blair Academy in New Jersey. On top of football, played basketball, baseball, and ran track. In football, Davis played both on both sides of the ball, featuring at running back on offense and in the secondary on defense. Between both schools, he amassed 4,815 rushing yards, 80 tackles, and 54 total touchdowns, six of which came on defense. That earned him a three-star recruiting grade as part of the class of 2019. He received eight offers and ultimately chose Temple.

As a true freshman in 2019, Davis played in 12 games and ran 192 times for 941 yards and eight touchdowns. He played in four of the team’s seven games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season before transferring to Vanderbilt in 2021. A toe injury held him to just three games that year, but the stars were finally back in his favor in 2022. Davis amassed over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns on 232 carries. He added another 169 yards and three scores on 29 receptions. 

After the 2022 season, Davis decided it was time for another change. He once again entered the transfer portal, this time with his sights on Kentucky. In his one season with the Wildcats, Davis ran 199 times for 1,129 yards and 14 touchdowns. That made him the first player in SEC history to run for 1,000 yards with two different schools. Davis showed off his receiving chops with 33 catches, 323 yards, and seven receiving touchdowns. That earned him first-team All-SEC honors.

College Stats

Ray Davis College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference

Positives

+Size

+Patience

+Receiving Skills

+15.6% reception share (2023)

+2.03 yards per team play (2023)

+48.8% touchdown share (2023)

Negatives

-Lacks explosion

-Older Prospect 

-Lacks the power you’d expect from a 220-lb running back 

Highlight Reel

Archetype: All-Purpose

NFL Comp: Dameon Pierce

Yards Per-Formance Score: 71.3 (78th-percentile)

Draft Projection: Fifth Round

Bottom Line:

Ray Davis is quietly one of the more complete running back prospects in the 2024 NFL draft class. He has excellent size at 5-8, 220-pounds, with the requisite speed and athletic traits to fit into any rushing scheme. Davis is an efficient runner with good patience and decisiveness to find the hole and hit the hole. In the passing game, Davis is well-rounded with reliable hands and the skills to run a number of routes out of the backfield. He has one of the better receiving profiles in the class. It’s one of several analytics boxes he checks, including elite numbers in the big three—reception share, yards per team play, and touchdown share. 

Where he needs to improve, though, is in pass protection. Davis flashes ability but is inconsistent. He will need to become more reliable if he is to carve out a true three-down role at the next level. While Davis has good speed, it takes him a minute to reach his top gear. He also lacks the burst to be an explosive play threat in the NFL. When he does reach the open field, Davis is not the most elusive. He will run through arm tackles but he’s not making many guys miss with his moves. 

Overall, Ray Davis projects as a quality No. 2 running back in the NFL who will provide value on all three downs. He’s your classic “jack-of-all trades, master of none.” He is a big, north-south runner who can also run routes and catches passes. He is experienced and ready to make an impact right away. Davis may not have the highest ceiling, but teams that like a safe pick and want to add a steady presence to their backfield are going to favor him over some of the other backs in the class. Draft capital will likely come in the middle rounds—round four or five. In dynasty, he will make for a nice floor play in the third round of rookie drafts.

NEXT: MarShawn Lloyd 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile

Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN

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