Introduction
Mike Davis (born February 19, 1993) is an American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Early years
Davis attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where he played football and ran track for the Jaguars athletic teams. As a senior, he rushed for 1,923 yards on 213 carries with 21 touchdowns. He was ranked as the seventh best running back recruit by Rivals.com. In track & field, Davis posted an 11.84-second 100-meter dash. Davis was originally committed to the University of Florida but changed his mind and attended the University of South Carolina.
College career
Davis attended and played college football at the University of South Carolina from 2012–2014 under head coach Steve Spurrier.
As a true freshman in 2012, Davis rushed for 275 yards on 52 carries and two touchdowns. Davis took over as the starting running back in 2013, following Marcus Lattimore's departure. He rushed for 1,183 yards with 11 touchdowns and was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. As a junior in 2014, he rushed for 982 yards and nine touchdowns.
On December 25, 2014, Davis announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.
- Career Statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |||
| 2012 | South Carolina | 52 | 275 | 5.3 | 50 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 8.8 | 0 | |||
| 2013 | South Carolina | 203 | 1,183 | 5.8 | 75 | 11 | 34 | 352 | 10.4 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | South Carolina | 199 | 982 | 4.9 | 40 | 9 | 32 | 368 | 11.5 | 2 | |||
| Career | 454 | 2,440 | 5.4 | 75 | 22 | 70 | 755 | 10.8 | 2 | ||||
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9 ⁄8 in (1.76 m) |
217 lb (98 kg) |
30 ⁄4 in (0.77 m) |
9 ⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.61 s | 4.18 s | 7.00 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) |
17 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers
2015
On May 2, 2015, Davis was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the 126th overall pick. On September 20, 2015, Davis made his NFL debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers, backing up Carlos Hyde who had to leave the field injured. He finished his rookie season with 58 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards.
2016
On October 23, 2016, Davis had his first-career touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Overall, he finished the 2016 season with 50 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with 25 receiving yards.
On May 5, 2017, Davis was released by the 49ers after failing to trade him during the 2017 NFL Draft.
Seattle Seahawks
2017
On May 8, 2017, Davis was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks. He was waived on September 2, and was signed to the Seahawks' practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 14. He finished the 2017 season with 240 rushing yards to go along with 15 receptions for 131 receiving yards.
2018
On March 22, 2018, Davis re-signed with the Seahawks. In Week 4, against the Arizona Cardinals, Davis recorded 21 carries for 101 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 20–17 victory. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 514 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 34 receptions, 214 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. The Seahawks earned the #5-seed in the NFC. Against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, he had 32 scrimmage yards and converted a two-point conversion in the 24–22 loss.
Chicago Bears
2019
On March 13, 2019, Davis signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Chicago Bears. In Davis' first game as a Bear, he rushed five times for 19 yards and caught six passes for 17 yards as the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 10–3. He was released on November 9.
Carolina Panthers
On November 11, 2019, the Carolina Panthers claimed Davis off waivers.
Professional statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2015 | SF | 6 | 0 | 35 | 58 | 1.7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 38 | 5.4 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | SF | 8 | 1 | 19 | 50 | 2.6 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 10 | 0 |
| 2017 | SEA | 6 | 6 | 68 | 240 | 3.5 | 33 | 0 | 15 | 131 | 8.7 | 23 | 0 |
| 2018 | SEA | 15 | 2 | 112 | 514 | 4.6 | 37 | 4 | 34 | 214 | 6.3 | 18 | 1 |
| 2019 | CHI | 7 | 1 | 11 | 25 | 2.3 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | 7 | 0 |
| Career | 42 | 10 | 245 | 887 | 3.6 | 37 | 5 | 66 | 430 | 6.5 | 23 | 1 | |
Personal life
His brother, James Davis, was also a running back and played college football at Clemson University and in the NFL from 2009 to 2011.