Three things to know about new Titans running back Darrynton Evans.
The Tennessee Titans might have found the perfect complement to star running back Derrick Henry in third-round pick and Appalachian State product, Darrynton Evans.
Here are three things to know about the running back and one of the newest Titans players.
An impressive senior season
Evans had himself a sensational senior season with Appalachian State. The running back finished with career-highs in rushing yards (1,480) and rushing touchdowns (18) in 2019.
For his efforts, Evans was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, which culminated a two-year run in which he totaled over 1,000 rushing yards each.
Here’s a look at what Twitter had to say about the selection.
[jwplayer 2A4vlg8b-ThvAeFxT]
Derrick and Darrynton — can you dig it?
Well, you’ll have to now that the Tennessee Titans have found the complement for star running back Derrick Henry.
The team selected App State rusher Darrynton Evans with the No. 93 overall pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Here’s a look at what Twitter had to say about the selection.
#Titans adding the lightning to Henry’s thunder with Darrynton Evans out of Appalachian State. Second fastest back in the draft with a 4.41 forty. Played in an outside zone heavy scheme for a great small program in App State. Good pass catcher. Great fit.pic.twitter.com/Ev0KlymkAN
And there's the intended Derrick Henry complement. It will be Derrick and Darrynton. And from now until someone else signs Jadeveon Clowney, I've got the Titans signing Jadeveon Clowney.
I just read @dpbrugler write-up in @TheAthletic NFL Draft Guide. Sounds like Darrynton Evans is a young, health, not terrible version of Dion Lewis, and he probably hasn’t blocked all of Nashville on Twitter yet.
After the Titans took LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton in the second round and Evans in the third, the team has four picks remaining in the 2020 NFL Draft, with one in the fifth and three in the seventh.
No matter what happens on Day 3, Titans general manager Jon Robinson had a great Day 2.
What grade do the Titans get for drafting Darrynton Evans?
The Tennessee Titans might have found the perfect complement to running back Derrick Henry with their third round pick of Appalachian State product, Darrynton Evans.
Head coach Mike Vrabel made it quite clear what the team was looking for in a backup running back, which was a player who could contribute on all three downs, as well as in the return game.
Well, Evans checks those boxes and then some.
With his 4.41 40-yard dash speed — the second fastest among all running backs at the 2020 NFL Combine — Evans is the kind of change-of-pace back the Titans need.
As a rusher, he broke the 1,000-yard mark in each of his last two seasons in college, including a career-high 1,489 yards in 2019 that no doubt helped him earn Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Not only can he can contribute on the ground to spell Henry, but Evans also has the chops to be an asset in the passing game. The 5-foot-10, 203-pound back caught 21 passes for 198 yards (9.5 yards per reception) and five touchdowns in his junior year.
As a returner, Evans totaled 56 kick returns for 1,439 yards (25.7 yards per return) and three scores during his career at Appalachian State.
On the surface, Evans has all the qualities that make him the right fit for what the Titans were looking for. This pick is definitely a winner for general manager Jon Robinson.
The Titans have found their backup running back in Darrynton Evans.
With the No. 93 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans selected Appalachian State running back, Darrynton Evans.
Coming into this offseason, it was a foregone conclusion that the Titans would cut Dion Lewis, who was ineffective in relief of Derrick Henry and was unable to make an impact in the passing game.
The pick of the 5-foot-10, 203-pound back is the Titans’ attempt to address the need for a backup. Evans is a perfect complement to Henry with his 4.41 40-yard dash speed, and he can contribute in the return game.
Prior to the draft, head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear the team was looking for a running back who could contribute on all three downs, as well as in the return game. Evans checks those boxes.
The third-round pick was the Titans’ last on Day 2. Tennessee was able to nab cornerback Kristian Fulton with its second-round pick (No. 61 overall).
As far as Day 3 goes, the Titans have four picks, with one in the fifth round and three in the seventh round.
Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon has some fun with a dream 2020 NFL draft for the Detroit Lions
It’s NFL Draft day, finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for, when Roger Goodell says the words “with the third pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select…” is almost here.
How will Goodell finish that sentence? The best guess is Jeff Okudah, but this one isn’t about trying to predict what will happen. This one is my personal dream draft weekend for the Detroit Lions.
In my dreams, the Dolphins trade up to No. 2 and take a quarterback. I don’t care which one, it doesn’t matter to me or to Detroit. That leaves Chase Young for the Lions at No. 3. It’s a dream scenario that I really thought was going to come true until about 2-3 weeks ago, too. Sigh.
Thursday wraps up with NFL teams making a run on offensive tackles, a couple of running backs and an unexpected off-ball LB or two. That sets up Friday and rounds two and three for a fantasy that is almost NC-17 rated.
At No. 35 and after landing Young, I want an offensive weapon. I miss Golden Tate a lot, so the dream pick here is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State. Golden Tate 2.0. I like to picture Matthew Stafford giving me a fist bump for helping him out here. That’s what dreams are made of…
Now I still need a cornerback. Suddenly Wayne Brady strolls into the dream, I’m dressed like Johannes from the band Avatar and I’m a contestant on Let’s Make a Deal.
Johannes Eckerstrom of Avatar performs at the Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival at Mapfre Stadium on Friday, May 17, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Virginia CB Bryce Hall is still on the board at No. 49. He was the best CB prospect in the country entering 2019. Hall’s 2018 game film was better than Okudah’s, or C.J. Henderson, Kristian Fulton or the other CBs who will be long gone by this point. When Brady asks me if I want to trade No. 85 overall and a 2nd-round pick in 2021 to the Steelers, I scream out with a toe-curling “YES!”
Now I’m transported to a swim-up bar in a tropical resort. A ridiculously attractive bartender asks me “what do you want for your third-round pick, big boy?”
I look deep into her doe eyes and say, “Terrell Burgess, safety, Utah, please.”
She quickly scans the tablet menu and has me sign off on taking a smart, tough, physical and versatile safety who instantly upgrades the tackling and middle-of-field defense.
My Day 3 dream comes in a blur, as somehow I’ve been blessed with the open-field speed and long stride of Calvin Johnson in his prime. I’m in a 4×100 relay and my team looks like this:
Evans had almost 1,500 rushing yards in 2019 and scored a total of 23 touchdowns for Appalachian State.
We have the name of another NFL draft prospect who has garnered some interest from the Arizona Cardinals. This latest is a running back who is expected to be selected on Day 3 of the draft.
According to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo, the Cardinals are one of many teams to have met with Appalachian State running back Darrynton Evans.
Evans rushed for 1,480 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2019 for the Mountaineers. He also caught 21 passes, scoring another five touchdowns. He measured in at the combine at 5-foot-10 and 203 pounds. He ran the 40 in 4.41 seconds, benched 225 pounds 20 times, had a 37-inchd vertical leap and a 10-5 broad jump.
Projections have Evans going anywhere between late Day 2 to late Day 3 of the draft.
The Bears are searching for a backup for RB David Montgomery, and they’ve done their homework by meeting with App State’s Darrynton Evans.
There are no shortage of needs for the Chicago Bears, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. While positions like offensive line, tight end and quarterback will draw most of the attention, you can’t ignore needs like running back and wide receiver.
The Bears are certainly doing their homework, as they were among a handful of teams that have met with Appalachian State running back Darrynton Evans during the pre-draft process, according to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo.
It’s no secret that the Bears run game was abysmal — and a big part of the reason why Chicago’s offense sputtered last season. There’s been a renewed focus to correct the run game, so say the Bears, but they can’t ignore that there’s no solid backup for starter David Montgomery.
Tarik Cohen will be listed as the No. 2 back, but he’s a gadget player. Cohen isn’t someone that could take over for Montgomery should he go down with an injury. While everyone’s hopeful for preseason stud Ryan Nall, the Bears don’t know that they can depend on him to be a dependable three-down back should the situation call for it.
Which is why general manager Ryan Pace needs to address running back in this draft. And maybe Evans is the answer for the Bears. Evans is a versatile back that has the traits to be a three-down back in the NFL, and a nice complement to Montgomery.
In 2019, Evans rushed for 1,480 yards and 18 touchdowns on 255 carries last year with the Mountaineers. For his career, Evans rushed for 2,884 rushing yards with 25 rushing touchdowns along with 39 receptions for 319 yards and six receiving touchdowns in three collegiate seasons.
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 go in the fourth round. While the Bears don’t currently have a fourth-round selection — they traded that for quarterback Nick Foles — you figure the Bears would be interested in Evans should he happen to fall to the fifth round, where they own pick 163.
General manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin have had virtual pre-draft meetings with 37 prospects, including an RB, LB, and CB.
Colbert said he and Coach Tomlin have done about 125 player interviews between the Senior Bowl, Combine, and virtual meetings (37 on FaceTime). #SteelersDraft
In a pre-draft Zoom press conference on Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert discussed various points of the 2020 NFL Draft, including players they’ve met with virtually.
Among players the Steelers have conducted virtual meetings with are Appalachian State running back Darrynton Evans, Cal linebacker Evan Weaver, and Oklahoma State University cornerback A.J. Green.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein projects Green as a fourth- to fifth-round prospect and grades him as a backup/special teamer.
Zierlein compares Evans to Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ronald Jones. He’s projected to be a fourth-round selection and grades as a backup who could become a starter. Evans ran a 4.41 40 at the NFL Combine; second among RBs and tied for 11th overall.
Weaver is a late-round prospect with a backup grade. His 182 tackles (13 starts) earned him AP All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 after leading the country in tackles (103 solo).
There’s no doubt the Steelers are looking for depth at both the LB and CB positions, and Weaver and Green seem to fit that bill.
Should the Steelers wait until the later rounds to draft an RB, Evans is a solid prospect. Not only is he an excellent blocker in the passing game but, as a runner, displays breakaway speed and can protect the ball — in 482 carries, he’s only lost one fumble. Evans also has skills as a returner — he has returned three kicks for TDs, including one for 100 yards.
Here are five mid-round running backs from the 2020 NFL Draft the Buffalo Bills should keep an eye on.
Devin Singletary is the Buffalo Bills’ No. 1 running back heading into 2020, that much we know. Behind him is a bit of a question mark.
Frank Gore isn’t coming back to the Bills and that leaves TJ Yeldon. While the Bills front office has touted Yeldon’s skills this offseason, that appears little more than a smokescreen heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.
Yeldon was consistently inactive on game day for the Bills last season, so while the team has few holes in their roster, a complementary back to Singletary is among them. Still, the Bills don’t need to reach on a running back at the draft. There’s plenty of talent sprinkled all around every round.
Here are six mid-round running back prospects that should be on the Bills radar at the upcoming draft:
If you’re looking for a powerful runner for the Bills, Zach Moss could be a strong pick. The senior stands at 5-foot-9 and 223 pounds, according to his scouting combine recap. He uses that size to make arm tacklers a useless defender when he’s on the field. Moss also has a knack for finding the holes in the backfield to get to the next level on runs. This physicality also helps him in pass protection situations.
What Moss is really lacking is speed. He won’t burn anyone on defense and his combine numbers didn’t exactly help him as Moss clocked in at a 4.65 40-yard dash time, tied for the fourth-worst time among all running backs at the combine. Moss won’t be a second-round pick, but rounds 3-4, he’ll certainly be in play.
Could Darrynton Evans be the Titans’ choice to backup Derrick Henry?
Running back might not be incredibly high on the Tennessee Titans’ list of priorities ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, but it’s still a position of need for the upcoming season.
After all, they’ve got to have a game plan behind star rusher Derrick Henry.
One way they could do that is by adding former Appalachian State running back, Darrynton Evans.
Evans visited with the Titans before the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic hit — but he’s got an extensive list of potential suitors.
The running back has had virtual interviews with 16 other teams, including AFC South rivals the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He also met with the Indianapolis Colts prior to the quarantine, according to Josh Edwards of CBS Sports.
#AppSt RB Darrynton Evans had formal interviews with the #Colts, #Rams at the combine. He visited with the #Titans pre-quarantine. He also mentioned 16 other teams with whom he's had virtual interviews: BUF, SF, ATL, LAC, JAC, HOU, DAL, PIT, PHI, KC, TB, NYJ, ARI, CHI, DET & DEN.
The 5-foot-10, 203-pound back had some good production in his 2018 and 2019 seasons, accumulating 2,667 yards and 25 touchdowns between those two years. He caught 21 passes for 198 yards and five touchdowns in his junior year.
He’s also been effective as a kick returner, and could bring some versatility to the Titans on special teams, while also functioning in a backup role behind Henry.
Evans projects to be a Day 3 pick, and could go in the fifth round or later in this year’s draft.
