Zach Evans - RB - Ole Miss
Zach Evans came out of high school as a highly touted recruit and has carried that pedigree with him all three years of college. While he carried that pedigree with him, he never quite lived up to the potential he flashed throughout his collegiate career. But the potential is there for him to live up to in the NFL if the right things fall into place.
Measurables
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 202 lbs
Age: 22
40-yard dash: 4.45s {unofficial}
3-cone drill: 7.08s {unofficial}
20-yard shuttle: 4.26s {unofficial}
Vertical Jump: DNP
Broad Jump: 10-1
Bench Press: DNP
*age is at the start of player’s rookie year
College Stats
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2020 | TCU | Big 12 | FR | RB | 9 | 54 | 415 | 7.7 | 4 | 8 | 76 | 9.5 | 0 | 62 | 491 | 7.9 | 4 |
| 2021 | TCU | Big 12 | SO | RB | 6 | 92 | 648 | 7.0 | 5 | 10 | 130 | 13.0 | 1 | 102 | 778 | 7.6 | 6 |
| *2022 | Ole Miss | SEC | SR | RB | 12 | 144 | 936 | 6.5 | 9 | 12 | 119 | 9.9 | 1 | 156 | 1055 | 6.8 | 10 |
| Career | Overall | 290 | 1999 | 6.9 | 18 | 30 | 325 | 10.8 | 2 | 320 | 2324 | 7.3 | 20 | ||||
| TCU | 146 | 1063 | 7.3 | 9 | 18 | 206 | 11.4 | 1 | 164 | 1269 | 7.7 | 10 | |||||
| Ole Miss | 144 | 936 | 6.5 | 9 | 12 | 119 | 9.9 | 1 | 156 | 1055 | 6.8 | 10 | |||||
Notable Headlines
Zach Evans was a 5-star recruit per 247 Composite ranks, only behind one other running back in the class whose name is Bijan Robinson (while he was ahead of Bijan at times during the recruiting cycle). Evans was originally committed to the University of Georgia, but due to violating team rules in high school multiple times during his senior year, he missed the state title game and was eventually released from his letter of intent. After an up and down recruiting cycle, he eventually lands on TCU out of the blue after visits to LSU and Ole Miss. Evans did his best to put the tumultuous recruiting process behind him his freshman year as he participated in a running back committee with Darwin Barlow, rushing quarterback Max Duggan, and fellow draft prospect Kendre Miller.
Evans took over the backfield in 2021 as a true sophomore, leading the team in rushing attempts and yards despite only playing in 6 games. But, he missed the final five games of the season due to a turf toe injury. Before the bowl game in 2021, Evans announced that he would be entering the transfer portal and later that offseason announced his intent to transfer to Ole Miss. Evans had an up and down junior season, but was ultimately overshadowed by true freshman sensation, Quinshon Judkins. Ole Miss ran an exciting rushing attack that still allowed Evans to go over 1,000 total yards and 10 TDs. After his up and down collegiate career that showed flashes of brilliance, he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Scouting Report
Positives
When Zach Evans was on the field and given the workload, he was electric. He has excellent vision to pair with his explosive burst. He sees the crease in the defense and explodes through it, even creating space in the defense himself by manipulating linebackers in the second level from behind the line of scrimmage. Additionally, he is an excellent outside zone runner with top-tier bend around the edge of defenses. His footwork is impeccable as well, making him a nimble runner that shows smooth change of direction both behind the line of scrimmage and in the teeth of the defense. When he does get into the open field, he has wheels on him that allow him to create open plays or even some house calls.
Despite his size, he shows good physicality and a willingness to lower his shoulder and consistently falls forward. He consistently runs through arm tackles. On the other end of the spectrum, he is subtly elusive. He won’t juke defenders out of their shoes, but his control around his speed allows him to throttle up or down to ruin attempted tacklers’ angles.
Negatives
A glaring issue in Evans’ prospect profile is his lack of passing catching throughout his collegiate years. He’s never accrued over 12 receptions in a season, but neither offenses catered to their running backs catching passes. Neither Kendre Miller once Zach Evans left TCU or fellow running mate at Ole Miss, Quinshon Judkins, impressed in the receiving box score. But when given the opportunity, Evans showed the ability to flash the skill sets that make him such a good running back in the open field after the catch. He was a natural hands catcher but did suffer from a few too many drops for comfort. Additionally, Evans had few pass protection reps on tape as well but was adequate in the few reps he put on display.
As a runner, it seems like Evans has inconsistent contact balance and physicality. He would drag defenders for first downs and run through arm tackles but tended to get stood up fairly easily when attacked head-on. And in short-yardage situations, he was not the most reliable back, sometimes wanting to bounce it outside instead of taking what was in front of him. Sometimes he gets away with it as he’s such a good outside runner, but that can catch up to him at the next level. Additionally, Evans came in much smaller than expected at the NFL Combine, despite not running any drills due to a hamstring injury. He was listed on the TCU website as 6’0” and 215 lbs, but measured in at the combine at 5’11” and 202 lbs.
Pre Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital- Round 3
Landing Spots
The upside is there and the NFL cares about pedigree. Evans coming out of college as arguably the top high school running back recruit is a plus, as well as the flashes of brilliance at the running back position both at TCU and at Ole Miss against some of the top defenses in college. But since his recruiting cycle, Evans has been a talking point, and not always for the best reasons. His collegiate career has been a roller coaster with highs like being considered one of the top RBs in this class as a true sophomore, down to suffering an injury in that same seasons and then being out played by true freshman Quinshon Judkins.
A team is going to take a risk on Evans’ upside towards the end of Day 2 as Evans shows a bell cow skill set if health permits. The Panthers are a team with a lot of needs, especially at the running back position. They will most likely attack offense with the picks they have left from the trade for the number one overall pick and assumed rookie quarterback. Another landing spot that would be perfect is the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have a bunch of bodies at the position without a true difference maker. Evans could be that difference maker later in the draft and his outside running skill set would mesh perfectly with McDaniel’s outside zone run scheme that stretches defenses horizontally.
Post Draft Analysis
Los Angeles Rams – Round 6, Pick 38
Landing Spot
Zach Evans walks into a barren backfield with the Los Angeles Rams. The backfield consists of Cam Akers who is coming off an Achilles tear, but looked promising at times last year, Kyren Williams who was a fifth round selection last year and saw limited playing time, and a bunch of bodies. Evans showed to be talented in his opportunities in college, but off field concerns and injuries clearly played a role in Evans dropping into late Day 3. But he lands in a great spot where there is ample opportunity to get run right out of the gate despite the late draft capital. Potentially more immediate opportunity for impact than many backs taken before him in the draft.
Fantasy Impact
As mentioned before, there isn’t a lot standing in Evans’ way at the moment. Kyren is another day 3 pick that Evans can jump and there’s an argument to be made that Evans is more talented than post Achilles tear Cam Akers. Despite being a late round pick, Evans lands in a very favorable spot to take the reins of the backfield. McVay has deployed a running back by committee in the past and that’s mainly been due to necessity. While Evans wasn’t the perfect picture of health in college, he has incredible upside. And if he doesn’t work out with the opportunity ahead of him, fantasy managers will at least know what they have sooner than later.
In Redraft leagues, Evans could be a fun flier in the last round of drafts depending on how deep the rosters are. Especially if in a couple of months positive camp news reports are coming out surrounding Evans. In dynasty, he is a great flier in the middle of the third round of Superflex rookie drafts. Again, he has an opportunity right away to carve out a role in this offense and fantasy managers will know what they have in Evans sooner than later. There isn’t going to be a long wait to see if Evans is relegated to the practice squad or special teams duties. If he can’t beat out Kyren Williams early on in the season, that doesn’t bode well for his future abilities.
For Redraft, Charbonnet could be a decent late-round flier as the entire offensive situation is really up in the air. And managers can take advantage of the unknown for a discount, but it’s a risky play, and is much safer to wait a year and see how this offense plays out. In Dynasty, Charbonnet was widely considered the locked-in RB3, but the landing spot makes the landscape at running back in this class very murky. The skillset is still there and many preach talent over situations. That being said, he’s a risky selection at the top of the second round in Superflex rookie drafts as we might be getting a long-term committee of two fantasy RB2s in Seattle.
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Image Credit: Troy Taormina – USA TODAY Sports
