Versatile Running Back Has Predraft Visit With Packers

Ray Davis put up big rushing totals for three schools during his collegiate career. Here's his story and how he would fit with the Green Bay Packers.

Kentucky RB Ray Davis / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

 

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are looking for a young running back to join the established tandem of big free-agent addition Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon. According to his Instagram account, Kentucky running back Ray Davis is at Lambeau Field for a predraft visit on Monday.

Who Is Ray Davis?

To say Davis was a running back for Kentucky misses the mark. He had big seasons for Temple (936 rushing yards in 2019), Vanderbilt (1,042 rushing yards in 2022) and Kentucky (1,129 rushing yards in 2023).

“I just knew if I wanted to compete with the best and really test my skills as a player, staying in the SEC was a no-brainer,” he told The Courier Journal in explaining why he chose Kentucky as a graduate student. “A majority of my offers came from the SEC, which was great because it showed my hard work paid off.”

Another reason why he joined Kentucky was to reunite with quarterback Devin Leary. They were a “package deal” with Leary transferring from North Carolina State.

“I've got to focus on being Ray Davis and let everything else take care of itself,” he said. “I need to let people know the Ray Davis story. I'm navigating my own path in life.”

Davis’ path is unbelievable. As a 12-year-old, with his parents in and out of prison, he was living in a homeless shelter with his 14 siblings. Yes, 14. A few years later, he was texting everyone he knew if he could crash at their place for a few nights. Finally, a favorite teacher said “of course.” Those few nights became three years.

“Why me? Why me? It took me until I was 23, 24 to figure that out,” Davis told The Athletic. “Well, this is why. Because of my story, and because of all the kids in a foster home or a homeless shelter that might hear about it one day.

“Everybody congratulates me for the football part of it, and that’s great, getting to the NFL and all that. But I’m an inner-city kid, a foster-care product who graduated from a top-15 school in the country. I feel like that’s what we should be celebrating. I never once thought I’d ever get into a school like Vanderbilt.”

How Does Ray Davis Fit With Packers?

In 2020, the Packers drafted Dillon in the second round, but he didn’t get much playing time behind the established duo of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. With Jacobs and Dillon, Davis might not see much playing time, either. However, Dillon’s back on only a one-year deal and even Jacobs’ four-year contract is more of a year-to-year thing. So, selecting Davis would be the type of forward-thinking move that general manager Brian Gutekunst has made frequently over the years.

Davis would fit well in Green Bay. There are 47 FBS-level running backs in the draft class with at least 100 rushing attempts in 2023. Davis ranked 11th with 3.81 yards after contact per carry, seventh with 751 yards after contact and ninth with 51 broken tackles. He fumbled only once.

Moreover, Davis is a factor in the passing game. With the Wildcats, he caught 32-of-39 passes for 324 yards. Of those aforementioned 47 running backs, Davis was fifth in receptions and yards and 13th in yards per pass route. He’s competitive as a pass protector but, like most backs entering the NFL, he’ll need to refine his tools and get stronger. However, he did not allow a sack over his final four seasons.

Ray Davis’ Draft Projection

At 5-foot-8 3/8, Davis isn’t tall. But he’s not small at 211 pounds. He ran his 40 in 4.52 seconds and finished with a Relative Athletic Score of 5.41. By comparison, as a fifth-round pick by the Packers, Jones was 5-foot-9 1/2 and 208 pounds. He ran his 40 in 4.49 with a RAS of 9.21.

Without elite testing numbers and with his 25th birthday coming on Nov. 11, Davis will be fortunate to get himself into the Day 2 conversation, but he won’t last long on Day 3 due to his all-around skill-set.

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