He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft.

He attended Thurgood Marshall High School in Missouri City, where he was a two-sport star in football and track.

He played only four games in his junior year due to a fractured clavicle, finishing the season with 425 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

[8] In March 2012, Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino announced that the 2012 season "will be (Davis's) last year and then he'll come out, go in the draft".

Davis announced his decision to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2013 NFL draft on December 12, 2012.

He saw limited time as a rookie behind All-Pro Jamaal Charles but made his first career start in Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, where he rushed for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Despite not starting, Davis was given the bulk of the workload in a playoff loss to the Colts, finishing with 18 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown before suffering a knee injury.

[19] On October 18, 2016, Davis was traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a conditional seventh round draft pick in 2018.

The trade was made after Packers' running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks sustained injuries the previous week.