Zach Evans (Rams) NFL Draft Preview
Post-Draft Fantasy Impact
Zach Evans went off the board in the sixth round as the 15th Running Back off the board. He was the 215th overall pick.
Evans slipped down draft boards for whatever reason, and the Rams decided to trade up 37 spots to finally nab him. That says something about the Rams’ interest in the Ole Miss back. The Rams don’t normally trade up, but coach Sean McVay commented on this choice, saying “And then there’s certain exceptions when you feel like, alright, Zach Evans is a back that has some special traits and so then you go up”.
He now joins Cam Akers and Kyren Williams in the backfield and has a solid chance to contribute this season. The Rams also added Tiyon Evans as an undrafted free agent.
This isn’t a bad landing spot for rookie Running backs for multiple reasons. First, the Rams do like to run the ball. They have been using 2-3 backs for a few years now, so all Evans has to do is crack the top three. From there, he has an unproven second-year back in Kyren Williams, and Cam Akers, who is a few years out from his achilles rupture (and had some weird team issues around the trade deadline) to contend with.
For fantasy purposes, Evans is probably more of a waiver wire addition than a draft pick. Unless news comes out that he is jumping Williams on the depth chart, my assumption is that he will need some bad play from Akers/Williams or an injury to them to see meaningful playtime.
Akers and Williams are still young too, so dynasty-wise it’s not much better of a situation. Still, Evans can work to prove that he is worth starting, and Akers and Williams are not a ton of competition based on what we’ve seen so far.
Zach Evans NFL Draft Preview
Zach Evans didn’t exactly light up the college football world stats-wise, but he did show he has what it takes to be an NFL back thanks to his size and strength.
Evans started his college career at TCU, where he rushed 146 times for 1063 yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons.
He then transferred to Ole Miss, where he rushed 144 times for 936 yards and nine touchdowns in only one season. Basically speaking, when given the chance to be the lead guy, Evans showed he could handle the workload. His biggest eye-opening stat was that he averaged 6.9 ypc over his career, making him a very efficient runner with big play ability. Evans finished with 30 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns.
Evans is currently being considered a third-round draft pick and has been compared to Melvin Gordon, which if true means he’d fit into most NFL offenses.
Measurables
- 5’11” 202 lbs
- 40-yard dash – 4.51 seconds***
Note: Zach Evans did not run the NFL combine due to a hamstring injury. 40-yard dash time came from previous data.
I know it’s going to be an unpopular opinion, but Zach Evans is my RB2 in this class behind Bijan Robinson.pic.twitter.com/zylD4sjFRQ
— Matt FF Dynasty 🏈 (@MattFFDynasty) January 26, 2023
POSITIVES
Evans is another back with NFL size and strength. He can push through initial tackles and runs hard on every play.
Evans doesn’t necessarily possess the fastest 40 time, but he has the top-end speed to break long plays, as evidenced by his 6.9 ypc. He also has a good initial burst that makes him a threat no matter where he lines up, including next to the QB in shotgun formations.
He is more of a shifty back than an outright bruiser and makes quick cuts and shimmies to make defenders miss. He also is creative, making the right juke moves to extend plays. He has been considered to be like a kick returner, although he didn’t do much of that in college.
Why do you keep showing non-highlight-worthy plays?
It’s the plays like these that tell you a lot about a runner.
Zach Evans #nfldraft pic.twitter.com/k9FceMahXj
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) March 8, 2023
NEGATIVES
Evans doesn’t have too many flaws in his game, but he does lack experience in certain areas that make him a bit less rounded than some of his peers.
For one, Evans had very little pass-catching experience in college and may need to work on that to succeed at the NFL level. He has shown he can catch difficult passes, but there really isn’t a ton of evidence that he’d be comfortable doing that in the NFL. He also doesn’t get a ton of separation as a pass catcher, so he may need to be on the move before the play in order to break a big one.
He also had below-average blocking abilities, although it didn’t seem to be a huge concern thanks to his size.
GRADE – B-
Evans is an interesting prospect. He has good size, strength, and burst to be an efficient runner in the NFL. But he doesn’t have a ton of experience in pass-catching or blocking, which are two big “wants” by most NFL teams.
Still, Evans has shown he is a threat for big plays and has the potential to be a 4.0+ ypc at the NFL level.
Evans probably starts his NFL career as a backup or in a timeshare, but he should have the capability to be the lead back eventually. Really all depends on where he gets drafted.
Happily married father of two boys. I love all sports, although prefer watching them since I’m a wildly mediocre athlete. And that’s why I write fantasy football articles! I’ve been writing for Fantasyfootballcalculator for over six years now. Besides that, I enjoy watching Badger football and basketball even though it raises my blood pressure. In my downtime, I enjoy traveling with my family, playing video games with friends, and golfing.
