My Case for Darrynton Evans: RB, Appalachian State

Player Stats:

Darrynton Evans

5’10” / 203 lbs. / 21 yrs. old

Combine Stats:

40 yd. Dash - 4.41

Bench Press - 20 reps

Vertical Jump - 37.0”

Broad Jump - 125.0”

Combine numbers at a glance:

Evans is a smaller frame RB, but possesses high end explosiveness and strength given his size. I would like to see RB’s a little heavier, but in today’s NFL we see RB’s being used in very creative ways. Evans’s pure athleticism excited me at the next level.

College statistics:

2018:

Games played: 13

Rushing: 179 attempts / 1187 yards / 7 TD

Receiving: 12 catches/ 87 yards / 1 TD

YPC: 6.6 yds

YPR: 7.3

Rushing ATG: 13.8 carries

100 yd +: 7 games

Return TD: 1

2019:

Games played: 14

Rushing: 255 attempts / 1480 yards / 18 TD

Receiving: 21 catches / 198 yards / 5 TD

YPC: 5.8 yds

YPR: 14.1 yds

Rushing ATG: 18.2

100 yd +: 5 games

Return TD: 1

College stats at a glance:

Evans’s production increased drastically between 2018 and 2019. He saw 76 more rushing attempts and 9 more receptions in 2019. As a result, his TD’s increased from 8 (2018) to 23 (2019). My favorite statistic is his attempts per game. In 2018 he was averaging just below 14 rushing attempts per game, in 2019 that went all the way up to 18 rushing attempts per game, showing that he can handle a 3 down workload. The increased opportunity led to impressive numbers for Evans. He ended his college career with the 9th most rushing yards in the country, just behind some huge names such as Chubba Hubbard, Jonathan Taylor and JK Dobbins. Evans finished with more rushing yards than Zack Moss, Najee Harris, Deondre Swift and Cam Akers. He put himself around some pretty good company with his 2019 production.

Now we have to factor in the strength of competition, all of the aforementioned players play in power 5 conferences while Evans plays in the Sun Belt conference. Evans was just a 2 star recruit coming out of high school in Florida, this greatly limited his offers. A two star recruit landing at a ‘meh’ Appalachian State team in 2017 (8-4), you would expect ‘meh’ production. By 2018, Evans’s impact was undeniable. The Mountaineers ended 2018 with a 10-2 record and his first of two Conference Championships. Evans got even better his junior year, leading the Mountaineers to a 13-1 record and another Sun Belt Conference Championship. In 2019 Evans accounted for 45% of the team’s rushing yards (there were 2 other ball carriers with over 100 attempts on the season) and 35% of the team’s total offensive touchdowns. Evans made the most of his time at Appalachian State. Evans did exactly what he needed to do against weaker competition, he dominated. He proved that he was head and shoulders above the other players in the Sun Belt Conference and he has now cemented himself as one of my favorite prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft.

NFL Outlook:

Evans possesses a skill set that could make an immediate impact for the team that chooses to draft him. He is extremely dynamic with the ball in his hands, but his smaller size will be a hurdle for him in the NFL. He profiles perfectly as a change of pace back right away with the potential to take on a larger workload if Evans proves he can hold up to the NFL physicality. A few landing spots I like for both fantasy purposes and for Evans's NFL future are Atlanta, Kansas City and Tennessee.

Atlanta Falcons: It is no secret Todd Gurley today is not the same Todd Gurley of old. Atlanta did not tie themselves to Gurley long term, but he is still just 25 years old and will be significantly cheaper to sign to a contract now given his injury concerns. If the Falcons choose to keep Gurley around after this year, Gurley and Evans could be a very fun 1-2 punch in a high octane offense. If Evans shows out and the Falcons choose to move on from Gurley, Evans will find himself in an excellent situation.

Kansas City Chiefs: Not much needs to be said here. KC loves their speed, Evans would be a perfect candidate to take over the RB role if/when Damien Williams (or Playoff Damien as they call him) gets hurt or the team chooses to move on from him. Williams is 28 years old, so he is likely not going to be resigned by the team. The Chiefs have expanded their RB depth, but Evans possesses more talent and much higher upside and should slot right in to the RB2 role on this team. Darrynton Evans to the Chiefs is my personal dream scenario. Evans has the skill set to thrive in this one of a kind Chiefs offense.

Tennessee Titans: With Derrrick Henry on the franchise tag after an absurd season, there is reason to question the Titans willingness to give Henry a long term deal. Henry is asking for a king’s ransom and just look what happened with Todd Gurley's contract fallout… Darrynton Evans would be an interesting fit in Tennessee. Henry & Evans together is scary to think about, as Evans could provide that explosive change of pace back that Tennessee never really got from Dion Lewis. Again, Evans finds himself in a position where there could potentially be a vacated role ahead of him in as little as a year. Evans would not bring the same bruising play style as Derrick Henry, but he can offer much more than Henry from a pass catching perspective. With other receiving weapons emerging like AJ Brown and Jonnu Smith, we just may see the Titans shift away from their total reliance on the running game which could bode well for a RB like Evans.

-Zack Housholder

Sources: NFL.com / Sports-reference.com / ESPN.com / Foxsports.com