Zach Evans is a wildcard in this upcoming class. Talent-wise, he looks like a sure-fire first round pick. His nimbleness and pure natural athletic ability make it so clear why he was the unanimous best running back in his recruiting class. That being said, his maturity and the way he has handled his college career up to this point have left many people scratching their heads. The only real complaint that I have with his game from 2021 was the fact that he would get tired at the end of games and not run as hard. 

I don’t see too much upside with Evans, other than he could improve his overall stamina to make it through a game. Evans runs very well through the first half but always seemed to struggle in the second. 

No major injuries other than the nicks and bruises. 

Zach Evans’ scouting report

Athletic Ability (37)

Speed/Athleticism: 15 – 

• Speed (6.5/7) – Excellent speed. Could run faster than a 4.40 forty, but he should be in the 4.38 to 4.43 range. 
• Change of Direction (4/4) – Very shifty. Looses almost no speed when he goes through a juke. 
• Body Control (3/4) – A little loose with his body control, but not in a way that seems to hinder him. Can make multiple cuts on a single play. 

Power/Strength: 10 – 

• Run Power (3/5) – So good at keeping his feet churning and pushing the pile forward to gain additional yardage. 
• Brute Strength (3/5) – Has a little strength to his game! Not afraid to dish out some punishment against defenders, especially in the secondary. 

Burst/Explosion: 12 – 

• Acceleration (5/6) – Acceleration is good and seamless. 
• Explosiveness (5.5/6) – Has some ridiculously smooth explosion that flashes on tape during his big runs. Electric runner. 

Running Back Traits (25)

Field Vision: 15 – 

• Reading Blocks (8.5/10) – A master of reading blocks quickly and hitting the hole with decisiveness and explosion. 
• Understanding Defenders (4.5/5) – Understands defenders extremely well, as evidenced by his moves. 

Contact Balance: 10 – 

• In Power (4/5) – Runs well between the tackles. Won’t go down with an arm tackle. 
• In Space (4/5) – Solid runner in space – difficult to predict his next move. Spins and dekes his way into good positioning to fall forward if he can’t break the tackle. 

Passing Game Ability (33)

Catch Ability: 15 – 

• Natural Hands (7/10) – Very capable as a receiver. Does suffer from concentration drops at times, looking up field to make a play before securing the catch. 
• Catch Through Contact (2/5) – Doesn’t catch too well through contact. 

Route Running: 5 – 

• Route Running (4/5) – Ran routes from both the backfield and occasionally the slot. Has good route running ability. Does a good job working free through sticky situations. 

Pass Block Ability: 13 – 

• Power (4.5/5) – Very strong pass blocker. Strong, technical blocker in general. 
• Quickness/Bend (4/5) – Very quick to get into position to pass protect. Shows excellent understanding and reads while in pass protection. 
• As a Chip Blocker (2/3) – Didn’t really see Zach Evans do any chip blocking. Would assume he could be effective. 

Overall: (81.5) – 2nd/3rd Round