Isaiah Davis | South Dakota St 6’0”, 218 lbs Feb 21st, 2002 (22)
Isaiah Davis was drafted by the New York Jets, becoming the 15th running back and 173rd overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
Isaiah Davis was a highly productive workhorse for the Jackrabbits, specifically in his final two seasons. Over his four-year career, Davis accumulated 4,548 rush yards, 487 receiving yards, and 51 touchdowns, earning FCS All-American honors as a junior and senior. Davis helped South Dakota State secure back-to-back FCS National Championships in 2023 and 2024, the first two in school history. Davis averaged over 100 rush yards per game in three of four seasons, posting an absurd 6.7 YPA in his career. By the numbers, Davis is undoubtedly the most successful running back to have gone through South Dakota State.
FILM
Davis looks like a mammoth of a man on film, running over, through, and around FCS defenders with ease. While he had the size and strength to bully his way into impressive numbers, Davis also displayed some impressive agility and elusiveness at South Dakota State. He has the patience to wait for his blocks to develop and has that one-cut ability to burst into the second level quickly. Davis is a fundamentally sound rusher, but he lacks that elite top-end speed to outrun DBs in the secondary. He was also fairly ineffective as a pass protector in college.
ATHLETIC TESTING
Isaiah Davis posted an RAS score of 8.85, with his height and bench press numbers pushing up his score. I must admit, I expected Davis to come in heavier than 218 pounds. On film, his frame looks very similar to Braelon Allen, but he was 17 pounds lighter. Still, at this height and weight, Davis should have no issue handling a full NFL workload if he were ever to be called upon to do so.
Davis’ 40-yard dash, split times, and shuttle were all pretty average, confirming what we saw on tape; he’s a physical specimen, but not a burner. Isaiah’s NFL Combine results tell us he’s a good, but not great, athlete.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Below-Average
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Below-Average
Isaiah Davis was selected by the New York Jets, becoming the 15th running back and 173rd overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft. This landing spot is far from ideal, as the Jets have one of the best backs in the league in Breece Hall, and they drafted Braelon Allen (Wisconsin) the round prior to Davis. There’s no easy path to Davis seeing NFL touches in the near future with these two on the roster, not to mention Israel Abanikanda showed us some flashes of competence last year as well. The 5th-round selection means the Jets have little invested in the South Dakota State prospect, so he’ll need to prove his worth to stick around.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
Isaiah Davis had one of the cleanest analytical profiles in this draft class, specifically from a rushing standpoint. He led this RB class in PFF Run Grade (96.8), averaged 6.7 YPA, and was near the top in yards after contact per attempt and elusiveness rating. The problem is, this is all against lesser competition, so we can’t take these numbers at face value. He was never overly involved as a receiver, finishing with just 1.04 YPRR in his most productive season as a senior.
I don’t expect Davis to make an impact for the Jets or your fantasy team in Year 1. Being a Day 3 pick, his days are already numbered, so it’s not likely he’ll ever be a player to hit your starting lineups, barring multiple injuries. I won’t be shocked if Davis passes Braelon and Izzy on the depth chart to become the RB2 in NYJ, but even so, he won’t see enough volume to get you excited. If you want to take a shot on Davis late in the fourth round of your rookie drafts, go for it. I liked the prospect coming out of college and I do believe he’s one of the best pure runners in this class. I just would have loved him to land in a spot where there was a foreseeable path to fantasy production.
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