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

— Physical, aggressive runner. No fear when it comes to contact.

— Great balance and strength. Can moves piles as well as run through individual defenders.

— Great hip flexibility and mobility. Switches lanes and angles with relative ease.

— Good acceleration to and through the second level.

— Very good vision and decisiveness. Runs with conviction.

— Chippy in pass protection.

NEGATIVES

— Not a sudden lateral mover. Ability to cut in space is lacking.

— Average long speed. Not slow, but may not be a consistent home run threat in the NFL.

— Below-average hands as a pass-catcher. Looks uncomfortable locating the ball at times.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 144 ATT, 936 YDS (6.5 AVG), 9 TD; 12 REC, 119 YDS, 1 TD

NOTES

— DOB: May 30, 2001

— 5-star recruit committed to TCU in 2020, transferred to Ole Miss in 2022

— 16 career starts (eight at TCU, eight at Ole Miss)

— Strained hamstring before NFL combine

OVERALL

Zach Evans is a physical runner with the vision and flexibility to establish himself as an NFL starter.

Evans' game is centered around imposing his will as a runner. He is an aggressive downhill runner with the strength to consistently bounce off tacklers, move piles and fall forward for extra yardage. Evans' lower-body strength and relatively low build allow him to power through his opponents and absorb hits without immediately going down.

Evans' vision and conviction as a runner complement his power. He is decisive and has zero reservations about plowing forward between the tackles, which often helps him generate consistent positive gains. He is the type of runner who will excel at keeping an offense on schedule.

Evans also has some flexibility to his game. He has a knack for being able to bend at the hips and quickly turn upfield, as well as switch lanes and angles without losing much of his forward momentum. When combined with his above-average acceleration and initial burst, Evans navigates to and through the second level quite well.

However, Evans can fall short when it comes to making flashier plays. Though flexible, he isn't particularly explosive on a lateral plane. He isn't the type of back to drop his hips and explode left or right to leave defenders whiffing at air, either.

Evans' long speed is also average. He's far from a plodder, but he is more the kind of back who can churn out 5-to-10-yard gains at a high rate rather than ripping off drive-changing explosive gains.

Evans is also a middling pass-catcher at this stage. He has the movement skills to be effective in space, but he often looks uncomfortable tracking and bringing in the ball. Evans makes up for that in part by being a stout and willing pass protector, but he will need to work on his hands to be a complete third-down back.

Evans has the profile of a starting NFL rusher. The physicality, decisiveness and flexibility he brings are all highly encouraging. His profile is only somewhat limited by his ceiling with regards to pass-catching and explosive ability.

Evans has the rushing skills to slot into any system, though a downhill gap scheme may unlock his potential the most.

GRADE: 7.1 (High-Level Backup or Potential Starter)

OVERALL RANK: 77

POSITION RANK: RB5

PRO COMPARISON: Kareem Hunt

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen