Ray Davis' NFL Draft stock rising after performance vs. Florida
As expected, the accolades are piling up for Ray Davis following his four-touchdown, 280-yard performance vs. Florida. Today, Davis was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week. He was also Pro Football Focus‘ highest-graded player in week five and leads the SEC in rushing yards (594), yards per carry (7.82), and rushing touchdowns (8). Nationally, he’s top five in all three statistical categories.
Davis’ NFL Draft stock is also on the rise following Saturday’s dominant showing. As mentioned, he received recognition from the Senior Bowl and was also tabbed an NFL Draft sleeper by ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
“We’ve already named a bunch of running backs, but I wanted to point out Davis after his career day against Florida, when he rushed for 280 yards on 26 carries and scored four total touchdowns. An in-conference transfer from Vanderbilt, Davis is a tough runner at 5-foot-10, 216 pounds who can make would-be tacklers miss with ease. Eight of his carries went for 10 or more yards against the Gators, a display of his speed. He is among the top senior running backs in this class and is viewed as a Day 3 prospect.”
Fellow NFL Draft pundit Dane Brugler also gave Davis a shoutout on Saturday, writing on Twitter, “Yeah, Davis is an NFL guy.”
Kirk Herbstreit joined the chorus, listing Davis first among his Week 5 Top Performing Players.
A trait Davis also has is speed. During his 75-yard touchdown run on Saturday, he topped out at 21.7 miles per hour, which was the fastest in college football in Week 5, per Reel Analytics.
Mark Stoops on Ray Davis’ big day
Davis’ big day vs. Florida will go down in the Kentucky Football record books. His 280 rushing yards are the third most in school history and just 19 short of the school record. His four touchdowns tie the school record for the most in one game. He’s scored at least one touchdown in each game this season, the first Wildcat to do so in his first five games since Artose Pinner in 2002.
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“I do because I’ve seen it,” Mark Stoops said when asked if he knew Davis was capable of such a performance. “I’ve seen it. Maybe I haven’t seen a game like that, but yeah, I knew he had it in him. I’m really proud of him because he really did some good things.”
As Davis said several times in postgame interviews, that kind of performance wasn’t possible without the Big Blue Wall. Right tackle Jeremy Flax was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his part in Ray’s big day. Flax did not allow any quarterback sacks or pressures, missed zero assignments, and recorded five knockdown blocks vs. Florida.
“Obviously, he was the first one to credit his [offensive] line and tight ends and the people around him and that’s a fact,” Stoops said of Davis today. “That’s true. He couldn’t do it alone, but he definitely did some great individual things as well. Which you know, I talk about all the time, you’re gonna have to when you play games like this, and you’re playing Georgia, and there’s good football around you, and then there’s some great individual plays and some great individual efforts as well.”
If Davis can duplicate his performance vs. Florida against Georgia in Athens on Saturday, the Ray for He1sman campaign will truly take off.
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