Derrick Davis Jr. RB Pittsburgh |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #34 ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.56 seconds (50%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.8 DOB: 11/13/2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #34 | |
| ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.56 seconds (50%*) | |
| Age: 23.8 DOB: 11/13/2002 | |
| Overall Rating: |
71.9 / 100
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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77% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Rushing: |
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61% |
| Break Tackles: |
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44% |
| Receiving/Hands: |
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42% |
| Pass Blocking: |
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68% |
| Run Blocking: |
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51% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#474
Position rank:
#19 (RB)
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| College Games: 10 College Snaps: 118 | ||
ESPN RATING: 87/100
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 97/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vavae Malepeai - USC |
|
78% |
| LJ Johnson Jr. - California |
|
75% |
| Mulbah Car - Houston |
|
73% |
Draft Profile: Bio
The nation's top safety recruit and a top-55 overall prospect in the 2021 class, Davis was a do-everything star at Gateway near Pittsburgh, rushing for 1,507 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns as a senior. He signed with LSU as a four-star defensive back.His career took a turn in Baton Rouge, where a lack of running back depth pushed him to offense late in a season before he transferred home to Pitt.
Davis grew into a versatile backfield and special-teams piece for the Panthers, drawing on the rare athleticism that made him a five-star-caliber recruit. A converted safety with running back size and defensive-back movement, he brings position flexibility and big-play ability, a unique skill set rooted in his two-way high school stardom and his unusual college path. The five-star-caliber athleticism and the flexibility from safety to running back give him a rare, projectable skill set as his unusual college journey continues.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Four-star pedigree who signed with LSU over a long list of major programs.
- Adequate size and build for a special teams core role while a backfield role develops.
- Showed willing, square pass-protection technique in his limited backfield snaps.
- Scored on the ground at LSU during his first conversion year before transferring home to Pittsburgh.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Missed the entire 2025 season after surgery for an injury suffered against Boston College.
- Career rushing tape amounts to barely a hundred snaps; the evaluation is mostly projection.
- Converted safety still learning the position's vision and timing demands.
- Average timed speed for the position undercuts the athlete-over-tape argument.
- Nothing on film as a receiver; rushing, thin as it is, leads the evaluation.
Scouting Report: Summary
This is a bet on an athlete, not a tape library. Davis arrived at LSU as a four-star safety, moved to running back when injuries forced the switch, then transferred home to Pittsburgh, where the conversion never got a full runway: a season-ending injury suffered against Boston College at the end of 2024 required surgery and wiped out his entire 2025. His career backfield film amounts to barely a hundred snaps.What exists on those snaps is mixed but not empty. He has a sturdy, well-proportioned build, his pass-protection reps are square and willing in a way most young backs never show, and he found the end zone at LSU during the first year of the experiment. But the vision and timing that separate real backs from converted athletes remain unlearned, the timed speed is ordinary, which weakens the pure-traits argument, and there is nothing at all on film as a receiver.
The path back runs through the medical exam and the kicking game. If he is cleared and shows the same body he had before the injury, his frame and willingness to block give him a practice-squad-to-special-teams route that converted defenders have walked before. The backfield role is a lottery ticket on top. He has to win every job from the very bottom of a depth chart, and the file as it stands offers hope rather than evidence.
Written By:
Felix Green (ACC)
Derrick Davis Jr. percentiles vs other Running Backs (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Derrick Davis Jr. (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
289.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
19.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.