Zach Evans RB Ole Miss: Scouting Report

Height: 5’11

Weight: 215

Overall

Zach Evans is a change of pace running back in Ole Miss’ balanced offense. He transferred to the Rebels after 2 seasons with TCU where he played in 15 games, starting 8 of them. This past season, he played in 11 games starting 7 of them. He has very good burst and excels in space at the 2nd level.

Run Game

Evans has very good acceleration when he gets room at the line of scrimmage to quickly get up field and to the edge of the defense. At times, he lacks patience behind the line of scrimmage but when he is patient, he shows very good vision to find the open running lane. Once he gets up to speed he shows the ability to break arm tackles and he has a good stiff arm but when he faces contact at the line of scrimmage he often goes down early. When he is in space he has very good speed along with the agility to juke defenders and make big plays. He can quickly change direction with his cutting ability and footwork. He has prototypical size but he lacks the strength and leg drive to be a workhorse back at the next level. On film, he often had a lot of space to work with early in his runs allowing him to use his speed to get up field. However, when his offensive line did not open big running lanes, he struggled to fight through contact and get to open space.

Pass Game

In the pass game, Evans is a good blocker and has experience as a receiver on screens and dump offs. He has sufficient hands but had a few bad drops on film. After the catch he continues to use his speed and agility to make defenders miss and create big plays. If he improves his catching ability he can be a quality receiving back in the pros.

Last Word

Evans had success on both zone and gap runs on film but with his speed and burst, he projects best in a zone heavy run scheme. His ability to block and be used in the pass game will allow him to be a 3rd-down option but he will be better utilized as a change-of-pace early down runner. His lack of strength and contact balance behind the line of scrimmage is a concern though.

One-Liner: Zach Evans is an explosive north-south runner who excels in space, but he needs to get stronger and improve his contact balance before he can be an every down player.

Grade: 6.6 (Lower End Starter on 1st and 2nd Down)

Games Watched: 2022 - Troy, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Kentucky; 2021 - Texas, Texas Tech

Team Fits: Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals