Zach Evans, Ole Miss (5’11”, 215)
What Scouts Say:
He is capable of carrying the primary workload, but without a ton of college tread on his tires. Good burst, speed, and body type. Can hit the home run if given a crease. He has a good stiff arm and always falls forward. Was never the featured back, and was not an incredible tackle-breaker. Limited as a receiver, fumbles are a problem. Strong with the zone stretch, can win with speed and leverage.
What We Saw:
Tony:
Zach Evans is a fast, crafty manipulator in space who can also push the pile and get difficult yards between the tackles. A lot of his Ole Miss production came from outstanding blocking, but his tape on the second level and from his time with TCU shows he can be productive even when the blocking up front isn’t outstanding. He isn’t going to win with moves, but he can win with speed, angles, and in the screen game. He will be a quality NFL back in a decent system, but if he gets a good draft capital and a strong offensive run scheme this April, he could be a star.
Shane:
The truck that Zach Evans laid on The A&M DB should put him in jail for homicide because that hit was one of the most brutal run-throughs I’ve seen in a long time. Zach Evans has that DAWG in him as this man runs angry. Evans looks for contact whenever he can, even to his own detriment. His elusiveness is very prevalent but he doesn’t utilize it as much as he should. He has very good vision to see the hole and a great burst to power through the gap when it starts to close. Contact balance was an interesting thing to watch as he can power through 1-2 tacklers at a time in a straight line but as soon as contact is made in an angle he falls down. It was very peculiar to watch a guy who has the ability to make guys miss and run through grown-ass men, fall over from slight contact to the hip. That’s a skill that can be developed over time as he has the juice. He is a decent pass-catching back, not his number one skill but it is a potential weapon that can be used, he has much higher ability than Charbonnet in that regard. Blocking was suspect at times, he got better when he was in Ol Miss, but still left a lot to be desired. He’s going to be a stud in a two-player tandem, but 10-14 touches a game will give you enough to validate his early 2nd ADP. For me, the landing spot is going to be the determining factor on who I take between Evans and Charbonnet.
Player Comparison:
Cam Akers/Melvin Gordon (pre-Dangerwich)
