2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Ray Davis, RB Kentucky


Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Re’Mahn “Ray” Davis was a 3-star prospect out of Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ. He originally committed to Temple University for 2 years. Davis would transfer to Vanderbilt to play for two seasons. In his final year of eligibility, he would transfer to Kentucky.

In his first 2 years at Temple, he had 1,244 rushing yards. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry in that span.

At Vanderbilt, Davis had a slow start. In year one, his third collegiate season, he only saw 44 attempts for less than 220 rushing yards. His second year was much better. Finally, he rushed for over 1,000 yards. This was the first time in his collegiate career. Davis also brought in 29 receptions for 169 yards. This gave him 1,211 total yards.

In his final collegiate season, he transferred to Kentucky. This would become his best season. Davis had just under 200 rushing attempts and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. He had 1,129 rushing yards. Plus, he once again showed his receiving skills by bringing in 33 receptions for 323 receiving yards. Oh, and he had 21 total touchdowns.


Measurables

Height: 5’10” (36th-percentile)                                 

Weight: 216 lbs (58th-percentile)

Age:  24.3                              

Class: Senior


NCAA Statistics

Rushing & Receiving Table
    Rushing Receiving Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2019 Temple American FR RB 12 193 936 4.8 8 15 181 12.1 2 208 1117 5.4 10
2020 Temple American SO RB 4 78 308 3.9 1 12 62 5.2 0 90 370 4.1 1
2021 Vanderbilt SEC JR RB 3 44 211 4.8 1 5 27 5.4 0 49 238 4.9 1
2022 Vanderbilt SEC SR   12 232 1042 4.5 5 29 169 5.8 3 261 1211 4.6 8
*2023 Kentucky SEC SR RB 13 199 1129 5.7 14 33 323 9.8 7 232 1452 6.3 21
Career Overall         746 3626 4.9 29 94 762 8.1 12 840 4388 5.2 41
  Temple         271 1244 4.6 9 27 243 9.0 2 298 1487 5.0 11
  Vanderbilt         276 1253 4.5 6 34 196 5.8 3 310 1449 4.7 9
  Kentucky         199 1129 5.7 14 33 323 9.8 7 232 1452 6.3 21
Provided by CFB at Sports ReferenceView Original Table
Generated 2/13/2024.

Scouting Reports

Strengths

  • Stout running back. Will bully his way through the tackles and earn his yards.
  • Power running at its finest. Will go heads-on against defenders without fear.
  • Soft hands. He’s a dual-threat back who can be the pure runner, but he has great hands too.
  • Reliable and sturdy back who has shown throughout his career that he can be the workhorse back.
  • His power makes him an excellent candidate for goal-line carries. Touchdowns come easy.
  • Solid vision in finding the holes between the tackles.

Weaknesses

  • What he has in power he lacks in speed. Uses his power to breakthrough, through but lacks any breakaway speed.
  • Needs to improve his pass pro. Inefficient when picking up the blitz.
  • Lacks the agility to break tackles. Relies on his power to make a difference.

Pre-Draft Analysis

Expected Draft Capital: Round 5

Ideal Landing Spot: Baltimore Ravens

Courtesy of nflmockdraftdatabase.com

Davis does not have the breakaway speed a team may want in a running back. He does have that pure strength to pound the rock. Plus, the durability to do it all game. This is why I think he makes a perfect fit for Baltimore. Look, if J.K. Dobbins is healthy he is the guy. The problem is he has not been able to stay healthy. The Ravens need to bring in somebody fresh. Davis can take the pressure off of Lamar Jackson. But also he becomes the “thunder” to Jackson’s “lightning”. That is something the team has been missing. If you mix that “thunder” with his ability to catch too then he could become a dangerous weapon for the Ravens.

His weakness will hurt him come draft time. The inability to pick up the blitz efficiently. This is a huge concern and something that may turn heads. However, Davis is durable, he is strong, and he can run effectively between the tackles. He just screams Baltimore to me.

Check out The Fantasy Football Universe video breakdown of Ray Davis below.