Mississippi
Zach Evans NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Mississippi RB
Justin Ford/Getty Photographs
HEIGHT: 5’11”
WEIGHT: 202
HAND: 10 1/4″
ARM: 31 5/8″
WINGSPAN: N/A
40-YARD DASH: N/A
3-CONE: N/A
SHUTTLE: N/A
VERTICAL: N/A
BROAD: N/A
POSITIVES
— Bodily, aggressive runner. No worry in terms of contact.
— Nice steadiness and power. Can strikes piles in addition to run via particular person defenders.
— Nice hip flexibility and mobility. Switches lanes and angles with relative ease.
— Good acceleration to and thru the second degree.
— Excellent imaginative and prescient and decisiveness. Runs with conviction.
— Chippy in move safety.
NEGATIVES
— Not a sudden lateral mover. Skill to chop in house is missing.
— Common lengthy pace. Not gradual, however will not be a constant dwelling run risk within the NFL.
— Under-average palms as a pass-catcher. Seems to be uncomfortable finding the ball at occasions.
2023 STATISTICS
— 12 G, 144 ATT, 936 YDS (6.5 AVG), 9 TD; 12 REC, 119 YDS, 1 TD
NOTES
— DOB: Could 30, 2001
— 5-star recruit dedicated to TCU in 2020, transferred to Ole Miss in 2022
— 16 profession begins (eight at TCU, eight at Ole Miss)
— Strained hamstring earlier than NFL mix
OVERALL
Zach Evans is a bodily runner with the imaginative and prescient and adaptability to determine himself as an NFL starter.
Evans’ recreation is centered round imposing his will as a runner. He’s an aggressive downhill runner with the power to constantly bounce off tacklers, transfer piles and fall ahead for further yardage. Evans’ lower-body power and comparatively low construct enable him to energy via his opponents and take in hits with out instantly happening.
Evans’ imaginative and prescient and conviction as a runner complement his energy. He’s decisive and has zero reservations about plowing ahead between the tackles, which regularly helps him generate constant constructive beneficial properties. He’s the kind of runner who will excel at conserving an offense on schedule.
Evans additionally has some flexibility to his recreation. He has a knack for having the ability to bend on the hips and shortly flip upfield, in addition to swap lanes and angles with out shedding a lot of his ahead momentum. When mixed together with his above-average acceleration and preliminary burst, Evans navigates to and thru the second degree fairly nicely.
Nonetheless, Evans can fall quick in terms of making flashier performs. Although versatile, he is not significantly explosive on a lateral airplane. He is not the kind of again to drop his hips and explode left or proper to go away defenders whiffing at air, both.
Evans’ lengthy pace can also be common. He is removed from a plodder, however he’s extra the sort of again who can churn out 5-to-10-yard beneficial properties at a excessive fee moderately than ripping off drive-changing explosive beneficial properties.
Evans can also be a middling pass-catcher at this stage. He has the motion abilities to be efficient in house, however he usually seems to be uncomfortable monitoring and bringing within the ball. Evans makes up for that partly by being a stout and keen move protector, however he might want to work on his palms to be a whole third-down again.
Evans has the profile of a beginning NFL rusher. The physicality, decisiveness and adaptability he brings are all extremely encouraging. His profile is barely considerably restricted by his ceiling with reference to pass-catching and explosive capability.
Evans has the dashing abilities to fit into any system, although a downhill hole scheme could unlock his potential essentially the most.
GRADE: 6.7 (Potential Function Participant – 4th Spherical)
OVERALL RANK: 115
POSITION RANK: RB11
PRO COMPARISON: Kareem Hunt
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen