Player Bio
Evans was the first five-star recruit to sign with TCU. He was a top-20 overall prospect who led North Shore High School in Houston to back-to-back state titles, rushing for nearly 5,000 yards and 76 touchdowns during his career. In his first season at TCU in 2020, Evans played the final nine games, making starts in each of the final three contests (54-415-7.7, four TDs rushing; 8-76-9.5 receiving). Despite missing six games with a toe injury in 2021, he led the Horned Frogs with 648 rushing yards (92 carries, 7.0 per, five scores rushing; 10-130-13.0, one TD receiving). He played in 12 games with eight starts for Ole Miss in 2022, missing time with a hip injury and a concussion, yet he still racked up 936 rushing yards (144 carries), tied for 10th in the FBS with 6.5 yards per carry, rushed for nine touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 119 (9.9 per) and a score. — by Chad Reuter
Analysis
By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst
Draft Projection Round 4
NFL Comparison Melvin Gordon
Overview
Evans’ career average of 6.9 yards per carry demonstrates his home run ability, but nagging injuries have limited him in the last two seasons. Teams will need to examine his injury history and determine whether it’s a concern for them or not. He has lead back size and impresses with his willingness to fight through contact for additional yardage on most runs. His vision and creativity are average at best, but the talent/traits should put him in contention for early carries as a very good complementary back with future RB1 upside.
Strengths
- Body composition of an NFL lead back.
- Burst is sudden and explosive.
- Can bounce runs wide and beat pursuit to the corner.
- Quick to process and elude versus penetration.
- Slashes through leg tackles with contact balance.
- Top-end speed for long house calls.
- Consistently adds yards to the carry with power.
Weaknesses
- Below average processing and responding to defensive fronts.
- Rarely presses line of scrimmage on zone plays.
- Hip tightness limits crispness of cuts on wide-flowing plays.
- Lacks creativity on the second level.
- Fumble rate is concerning.