Bucs Nation
A back with ties to the coaching staff could be a fit for Tampa Bay
With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, the Buccaneers are still looking for ways to improve the team ahead of the 2024 season. While Rachaad White took big strides in 2023 and the team brought back Chase Edmonds this offseason, they could always use some interesting depth.
That is where Kentucky’s Ray Davis comes into play for the Bucs.
Davis has had a very interesting career thus far as he has played for three different schools since 2019. He first played at the University Temple, where he would almost hit 1,000 rushing yards in his freshman season. After a successful first season at Temple, Davis would transfer to Vanderbilt University after just four games into his sophomore season at Temple.
After an injury riddled 2021 season, Davis finally reached the 1,000-yard milestone in 2022. He finished with 1,042 rushing yards as well as five rushing touchdowns at Vanderbilt. Following the 2022 season, Davis decided to play his last year of college eligibility at the University of Kentucky where he was coached by current Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
At his first and final year at Kentucky, he would come up short of 1,000 rushing yards, but would set a new career high in rushing touchdowns with 12. He also had five receiving touchdowns as a Wildcat showing off his ability to be versatile in both the run and pass game.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Davis recorded a 4.52 second 40 yard dash as well as a 1.56 second 10 yard split and a 4.51 second 20 yard shuttle. He also participated in the vertical jump recorded 35 inches and the broad jump, recording 9 feet, 11 inches.
At the Kentucky pro day, Davis decided not to run the 40 again, but instead did the bench press which he was able to record 21 reps on and he also did a lot of drills with the wide receivers to showcase his receiving skills to NFL teams.
He wouldn’t be the starter in 2024, but he wouldn’t have to be and that could be a great situation for him. Pairing him with Rachaad White could make a lot of sense for the Bucs as they look to add another element to their run game. The Bucs have a lot of inside info on Davis since Coen was with him in 2024 and that could help them in the draft process and also being able to tell if there is a fit in Tampa Bay.
His role would be limited in 2024, but he would certainly provide some value as a depth piece for this upcoming season.
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