With Leonard Fournette being available for a potential trade, the Jacksonville Jaguars may be looking to draft a running back with or without him. Earlier this week, we previewed some running backs to watch as early-round selections, however, it’s possible they could look for an option past Round 3, too.
Full list of Darrynton Evans meetings.#Colts, #Titans, #Cardinals, #Bills, #Chargers, #Falcons, #Saints, #Jags, #Jets, #Bears, #Eagles, #Cowboys, #Texans, #49ers, #Broncos, #Lions, #Panthers, #Bucs, #Browns, #Steelers, #Chiefs, #Dolphins, #Giants, #Rams, #Ravens, #Browns.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) April 21, 2020
One player who may be an option is one of 2019’s top collegiate rushers, Darrynton Evans of Appalachian State, who met with the Jags and several others, according to our comrade Justin Melo of Draft Wire. With the coronavirus pandemic causing visiting limitations, the meeting in all probability was via video, unless they met with him at the Senior Bowl or combine.
Evans, 21, has probably long been on the Jags’ radar as a native from Oak Hill, Fla, which is an hour and 45 minutes away from Jacksonville. As previously stated, he was a top-10 rusher for the NCAA in 2019, accumulating 1,480 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He also was named 2019’s Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
In his evaluation on Evans, here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about the App State product:
Slashing outside-zone runner with glide in his stride and ability to run with elusiveness and creativity. Evans is a little undersized and might be viewed as a change-of-pace option, but he appears to have the three-down skill set to handle committee carries. He can run with patience, but has the loose hips and agile feet to plant-and-go in a hurry. He sees the field and does a nice job of setting up and eluding tacklers with lateral cuts or stacked moves. While he’s confident in space, Evans lacks the commitment and finishing force to make a living inside the tackles. His third-down and kick-return versatility increases the likelihood that Evans will hear his name called in the middle rounds with a chance to become a solid RB2.
Zierlein projects Evans to be a fourth-round selection. The Jags have three selections in that round and two in the fifth if he falls. That said, if the Jags don’t take a running back in Rounds 1-3, maybe they will look at Evans Day 3.