Chargers Scouting Report: Kentucky RB Ray Davis

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Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports Ray Davis shined at this year’s Senior Bowl as he put on a dual-threat show for evaluators. Re’Mahn “Ray” Davis has played for three different programs during his five-year collegiate career. He spent two seasons with the Owls of Temple, then two seasons at Vanderbilt, capped off by his best season with the Kentucky Wildcats. After rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2023, Davis became the first player in SEC history to rush for 1,000+ yards for two different SEC teams. He also became the first active player to total 1,000 or more rushing yards in a career with three different programs. After being a seldomly-used receiver out of the backfield, Davis truly broke out in that area with the Wildcats this past season as he totaled career highs with 22 receptions, 323 yards, and seven touchdowns. That all came on top of an impressive rushing performance that included over 1,100 yards and 14 scores on the ground. This past week, Davis was invited to participate in this year’s Senior Bowl, the top college football all-star game in the country. Davis came away as one of the biggest winners from the week as he proved to the numerous scouts and NFL executives in attendance that he’s every bit of the dual-threat that he showed in 2023. Scouts from the33rdteam.com noted that Davis was the best running back in Mobile while also calling him the best pass-catcher in the group by a wide margin. At 5’8 and weighing around 215 pounds, Davis doesn’t have the prototypical third-down back frame but his work in the pass game tells us he ‘s built just fine for it. If anything, it likely means he can still spell a starting back a few plays if needed.

• School: Temple/Vanderbilt/Kentucky
• Height: 5’8
• Weight: 220
• 2023 stats: 199 rushes, 1,129 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, 33 receptions, 323 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
• Career stats: 746 rushes, 3,626 rushing yards, 29 rushing touchdowns, 94 receptions, 762 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns
• Accolades: First-Team All-SEC (2023), Pro Football Focus First-Team Freshman All-American (2019)

Strengths Davis totaled 37 starts across three different programs. That tells us he’s able to acclimate quickly to a new team which bodes well for his potential impact as a rookie. Per Bleacher Report’s scouting profile, Davis is a high-floor, low-ceiling running back that could produce on all three downs. In spite of his boxy frame, Davis takes good angles and has just enough wiggle to squeeze out some extra yards. He’s surprisingly fluid in space which will catch some defenders off guard if they don’t respect his athleticism. Kentucky's Ray Davis sneaking out of the backfield for a red-zone TD reception. B/R scout @QBKlass called Davis the best back in attendance by a wide margin. pic.twitter.com/gab0saDePz— Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) February 1, 2024 Weakness As of now, Davis lacks true explosion to become a home run hitter at the next level. He’s not necessarily slow, but I don’t see much potential to make defenses hurt consistently if defenders take bad pursuit angles. Scouts would also like to see him finish runs with a little more pop. Round Prediction: Fourth round This is a fairly weak running back class compared to most which means there’s a lot of space near the top where prospects can jockey for draft position all the way up until the late April. In the end, I believe teams will covet those they feel have the fastest chance to make an impact as a rookie. It’s hard not to see Davis among that group. Still, until running back value bounces back in the right direction, I don’t expect to see many taken through the first three rounds. Kentucky RB Ray Davis picking up from where he left off yesterday at the Senior Bowl!

Davis continues to impress, this time with a one-handed pic.twitter.com/vUNhYssXSS— Matt FF Dynasty (@MattFFDynasty) January 31, 2024

Source: https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/2024/2 ... t-2024-ews