The 2024 NFL Draft is just over two months away. The NFL Combine is quickly approaching.

If your “X” (formerly Twitter) feed is anything like mine, then you know it is fully “NFL Draft Season.”

The Bucs currently have six picks in the draft (they’ll be awarded an extra seventh-round compensatory pick) and have a plethora of roster needs. One of the tertiary needs Tampa Bay will need to address this offseason is running back. Rachaad White had a very good season in 2022, but Chase Edmonds, Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Sean Tucker combined for just 241 yards on 88 carries.

While White proved he could be a bell cow last year, if the team were to lose him there is no reliable option behind him to help keep the running game propped up. Tampa Bay could opt for a free agent backup, but the draft has intriguing options that are likely going to be available on day three. I am still early in my draft evaluations but thought it would be fun to spotlight a few options that I have watched thus far.

2024 NFL Draft Option One: Kentucky RB Ray Davis

I wanted to start with a popular name now that the Bucs have signed new offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Davis played for Coen last year at Kentucky and had the best season of his college career. Davis had 197 carries for 1,131 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 32 catches for 324 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. Davis’ underlying metrics are solid as well. He forced 51 missed tackles (25.9%) which was a consistent rate across his four-year collegiate career. Thirty-one of his carries went for 10 or more yards.

Kentucky RB Ray Davis – Photo by: USA Today

Davis measured in at just under 5-foot-9, 220 pounds. He would provide a dense and powerful back as a compliment to the more svelte Rachaad White. For his size, he has good short area burst and acceleration to get to his top speed quickly. Davis uses his frame well to absorb would-be tacklers while continuing to move forward.

He operates well as a one-cut back and that sticks his foot in the ground and then gets vertical with haste. Over his first four years in college at Temple, and later Vanderbilt, Davis worked in zone-heavy systems. With Kentucky last year Davis ran gap at almost a two-to-one ratio versus zone runs. The result was his best season to date.

Davis’ footwork is a plus for his size, and helps him keep good contact balance. And while his long speed is not a plus, he is quite adept at getting 10-to-25 yards in chunks, which is a much more frequent occurrence in the NFL than snapping off 50+ yard gains. If the Bucs were to select Davis in the draft, he would likely operate more as an early-down, change-of-pace where his skillset would thrive best.

While he is a good pass-catcher, for his size I wanted Davis to be a better pass protector than what he showed on tape. When you add in the fact that White is both a good pass blocker and an elite receiving weapon it stands to reason Davis would be used early while White is late.

Well, hello Ray Davis 😍 #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/kXuh0GWjIf

— Jason DiRienzo (@allpurposescout) February 18, 2024

Of the six backs I have watched thus far Davis is second on my draft board and I have a third-round grade on him.

2024 NFL Draft Option Two: USC RB Marshawn Lloyd

While he isn’t at the top of my board, so far Marshawn Lloyd is my favorite back in this year’s NFL Draft. At 5-foot-9, 217 pounds he is denser than Rachaad White, but not quite as bulky as Kentucky’s Ray Davis. Lloyd spent his first two years of college at South Carolina before transferring to USC this past year.

USC RB Marshawn Lloyd – Photo by: USA Today

Lloyd, like Davis, is on the older side at 23 years old. Despite his age, he has relatively low tread on his tires. He has played just 360 offensive snaps over three years with just 289 carries in college. This past year was his most productive with 816 yards on 115 carries (7.1 yards per attempt) with nine touchdowns.

Lloyd’s 32% forced missed tackle rate for his career spiked last year at over 40% and over 20% of his runs in 2023 went for 10 or more yards.

He wasn’t much of a receiving threat in terms of volume with 18 targets. But his efficiency is solid as evidenced by his 72.2% catch rate while averaging almost 18 yards per catch. I know a USC back with relatively low receiving totals may give some Bucs fans PTSD (Ronald Jones II), but with White on board, the need for a plus-receiver when looking for a complimentary day three back is less of a requirement.

Lloyd does a lot of things well, which is why I appreciate him so much. He has great burst and explosiveness to stick and go. He combines those qualities with good vision to exploit holes and gain yards. Despite being less dense than Davis, Lloyd provides better contact balance and runs through tacklers and rarely takes a negative play. His long speed is deceptively good, and he causes defenders to take poor angles that leaves them in his wake.

Like Davis, he is a poor pass protector who will need to improve in that area to be a reliable NFL back. And his lack of college workload will make teams hesitant to invest too much draft capital in him.

🔦 MarShawn Lloyd (RB #USC)

✅ Burst/Acceleration/Elusiveness
✅ Vision/IQ
✅ Creativity/Big-Plays
❌ Injury/Age
❌ Physicality

Position Rank: RB3
Grade: Round 3
Player Comparison: Doug Martin
Team Fit: #Rams, #Vikings, #Packers

pic.twitter.com/ru7jUpPhEt

— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) February 14, 2024

I have third-round grade on Lloyd as well with him ranked just behind Davis.

This year’s NFL Draft is not strong for running backs. It lacks the high-end talent that 2023 had in Bijan Robinson and Jamyr Gibbs. But there are plenty of talented options in the mid-to-late rounds who can fill specific roles. And that’s just what the Bucs need.