Isaiah Davis 2024 NFL Draft Overview
Height: Six-foot
Weight: 218 pounds
Position: Running back
School: South Dakota State
2024 NFL Draft: Isaiah Davis Scouting Report
Small-school products always come into the NFL with a chip on their shoulder and even more so when it comes to skilled positions. Isaiah Davis is no different. Despite leading his high school team to the Missouri Class 6 (division with the largest schools in the state) State Championship game after tearing it up to the tune of 2,283 yards and 45 touchdowns. He took his career 9.2 yards per carry to South Dakota State at the FCS level.
Davis had no stars but that didn’t slow him down. As a true freshman in 2020/spring 2021, Davis led the Jackrabbits with 818 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in just 10 yards. He added 107 receiving yards off of seven catches and returned seven kicks for 228 yards.
He was hampered by injuries early on in the 2021 season but came back for seven games. In that time, he added 701 yards and seven scores. In his first two years, Davis averaged nearly eight yards per carry.
As a junior in 2022, Davis truly made a name for himself. After very nearly going into Iowa City and upsetting the Hawkeyes, Davis and the Jackrabbits rattled off 14 straight wins en route to an FCS National Championship. Davis was a massive reason for the Jackrabbits’ success as he went off for 1,451 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year. For his efforts, he earned First-Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors and he was just getting started.
In 2023, Davis and South Dakota State did not stop and ran through the season unbeaten and won it all yet again. Davis continued his elite play with another 1,578 yards and 18 touchdowns, good for his career-best 105.1 yards per game on the ground. At the end of it all, Davis earned First-Team All-MVFC, Co-Offensive Player of the Year for the MVFC, and First-Team All-American honors.
Strengths
- Productivity through the roof
- Keeps feet going to get that extra yard
- Does not put the ball in harm’s way; three fumbles over 739 total touches
- Combines a solid NFL-ready frame with power and agility
- Could carve out a niche as a pass-blocking back with good technique and base
- Is a viable receiver out of the backfield and can turn passes to the flats into chunk yardage
- Will break arm tackles with ease
Isaiah Davis led all FBS+FCS rushers w/ 54 carries of 10+ yards in 2023, scored 50 TDs for a back-to-back championship SDSU team and looks slippery as hell (albeit against weaker competition)
Stud day 3 back IMO pic.twitter.com/hD3Yq2JzlL
— Davis Mattek (@DavisMattek) April 16, 2024
Weaknesses
- Competition level
- Ran 4.57 at the Scouting Combine
- Needs to develop a little decisiveness at the point of attack
- Has a tendency to bounce runs and he doesn’t have the explosivity to back it up in the NFL
- Hasn’t done much on special teams, so the versatility may not be there
NFL Player Comparison: Tyler Allgeier
Projection: Sixth Round
Best Fits: Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs
Bottom Line on Isaiah Davis
Taking players from the FCS is certainly a risk but Isaiah Davis has just about all of the tools an NFL team would look for in its steal-of-the-draft running back.
Davis will not blow you away with speed, he’s certainly not a Raheem Mostert type. However, he has enough to make a day-three selection worth it. He is adept at getting the extra yardage from vision and continuously moving his legs. Davis will fight for every yard so it matters less that he isn’t going to fly by.
He has the tools to be a third-down pass protector and has enough chops to kick out and get a few easy yards receiving out of the backfield. He isn’t projected to end up as an RB1 for a team but he has the tools and the drive to end up as a productive member of the room.
Main Image: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
