Isaiah Davis Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

School: South Dakota State

Class: Senior

HT: 6’0

WT: 218 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #93

Background: Isaiah Davis was just about unrecruited out of high school. He was not given any stars out of Joplin High School in Joplin, Missouri. He led Joplin to the Missouri Class 6 state championship as a senior. After being named Second Team All-Missouri as a junior, he was a first team selection as a senior. He was named the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year after rushing for over 2,200 yards. On top of being one of the best running backs in the state, he was also a productive linebacker. Davis chose to play for South Dakota State.

College: During his first two seasons at South Dakota State, Isaiah formed a formidable running back tandem alongside eventual NFL draftee, Pierre Strong. As a freshman, he led the team in rushing yards and was named the team’s best offensive player. He was named an FCS Freshman All-American. His second season was somewhat hindered by injuries, but he was still second on the team in rushing. Davis was First Team All-MVAC in 2022 after being the most productive FCS running back.

Strengths: Isaiah Davis provides an impressive array of ball carrying moves to stay on his feet. Davis’s contact balance is up there with the best of them as he seemingly bounces off defenders with ease. It truly seems like he has never been brought down by first contact in the open field. He is a strong and dense frame who accelerates at a higher speed than anyone else on the field. Davis may be the best combination of size and speed in the entire draft class. He has footwork that allows him to be patient behind the line of scrimmage and wait for blocks to develop in front of him. His frame combined with his overall ability to run in open space while also splitting gaps makes him a projected every-down running back at the next level. Davis knows how to gain the extra yard or two, never getting knocked backwards for a loss and certainly never forgets to fall forward for those extra few yards that always turn out to be important. However, Davis is not without his own weaknesses. He has so many opportunities to break free of tacklers and contact in large part due to himself. He does not even bother avoiding contact and instead tries to bank on defenders failing to bring him down.

Weaknesses: If he could add some elusiveness to his game, as he already has solid footwork, he would be that much more difficult to track down. Davis is not a threat in the passing game. There is very little receiving upside with Isaiah and he is a pure runner.

Conclusion: Isaiah Davis is a candidate to be a steal of the draft as he is not likely to be selected before Day 3. He would be another name on the long list of running backs selected towards the end of the draft to make a serious impact in the NFL.

Scheme Fit: Zone Rushing Offense

Ideal Role: Workhorse RB

Best Team Fits: LAC, CIN, LV

Player Comparison: David Montgomery

Player Grade: 76.1