Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Darrynton Evans, RB TEN

NP Merrill

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: Darrynton Evans

Position: Running back

Pro Team: Tennessee Titans

College Team: Appalachian State

Draft Status: Round three, 93rd overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

COMBINE REVIEW

  • Height: 5’10”
  • Weight: 203 pounds
  • Arms: 31 5/8″
  • Hands: 9 1/4″
  • 40-yard dash: 4.41 seconds
  • Vertical jump: 37”
  • Broad jump: 125”
  • Three-cone drill: N/A
  • 20-yard shuttle: N/A
  • Bench press: 20 reps

STRENGTHS

  • Speed — ran second-best 40-yard dash time of all running backs at Combine.
  • Soft hands — recorded only three drops on 55 receptions over course of collegiate career.
  • Superior ball security — 482 college carries, zero fumbles.
  • Significant experience and production as a kick returner.
  • Big-play threat; led the FBS in 50-plus yard carries with 11.
  • His highly-touted character on and off the field, as well as his leadership in the locker room, have been the subject of consistently high praise from analysts, coaches and teammates.

WEAKNESSES

  • Needs to work on pass protection; lacks size to consistently and effectively pick up blitzes.
  • Elusive but not a tackle breaker; tends to tuck into contact and goes down too easily,
  • Does not churn legs; has shown lack of ability running inside the tackles.
  • Undersized frame potentially limits upside to satellite back, part of committee. 

OPPORTUNITIES

The Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Evans finds himself in a near-perfect developmental and complementary situation as he enters the NFL. Tennessee’s offense is built in large part around the considerable size and skills brought to the field by Derrick Henry. They run the outside zone scheme more than any other NFL team.

In 2019, Dion Lewis served as the Titans’ second-leading rusher, compiling 209 yards on 54 attempts. If the Titans are serious about extending Henry and want to preserve him for continued rushing dominance in future years, Evans’ natural fit in the Titans run scheme will lead to him beating this mark by a considerable margin. Tack on kick return duties and he’s likely to be more productive than the average third-round rookie running back.

If trusted with 8-12 touches per game, Evans will be fantasy-relevant and worthy of consideration as a flex player. It will take at least a few games to determine whether he is afforded such opportunity. He’s a smart bench stash as he will see significant opportunity if Henry misses time, and he may develop stand-alone value as a more versatile and youthfully energetic Lewis replacement.

THREATS

Other than Henry and Evans, the only other running backs currently listed on the team’s depth chart are Dalyn Dawkins and Senorise Perry. It would come as no surprise to see another body added to the running back room before or during the 2020 season, but until that happens expect Evans to be involved early if not often on game days. 

As of today, the biggest threat to Evans breakout opportunity is Henry’s smash-mouth efficiency and the fact that when their top back runs well the Titans tend to win. In games Henry ran for over 100 yards in 2019, the team went 8-0 (with two playoff victories); when he fell short of that mark, they went 3-8. It’s possible that Evans’ role fails to materialize into fantasy relevance if the team throws caution to the wind and runs Henry relentlessly into the ground in pursuit of winning at all costs. 

SHORT TERM EXPECTATIONS

Landing behind 2019’s rushing leader, Evans’ complementary skill-set as a receiver and kick return experience should serve him and his new team well in 2020. It is likely that the Titans make at least perfunctory efforts to temper Henry’s gargantuan workload from last year (303 carries) by getting Evans involved, particularly in passing situations where the latter’s sure-handed skills may be put to use. It appears that Henry will not be expected to participate in the passing game much; anticipate Evans demonstrating his ability in this regard while spelling the team’s workhorse back. 

In fantasy leagues that award points for kick returns Evans makes a nice roster add, since it is likely he will be given the opportunity to show that he can contribute on special teams.

LONG TERM EXPECTATIONS

Henry is playing on the $10.278 million franchise tag for 2020. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021. Titans general manager Jon Robinson has repeatedly asserted the team’s desire to sign their top back to a long-term deal. With the July 15th deadline for negotiating an extension looming and no deal pending, it’s possible that Evans emerges as Tennessee’s lead back as early as next year. The team signing Henry to an extension, however, is much more likely, as their offense is built brick-by-brick around Henry’s size and skill set, and he is in large part responsible for the success they’ve had in scoring on offense. 

If they can’t work out an agreement, the team would have every incentive to add to the running back room through free agency or next year’s draft. While Evans amassed impressive statistics at the college level, he did so against the lesser competition of the Sun Belt Conference, and he does not profile as a three-down back. He’s much more likely to be part of a committee in the event that Henry and the team part ways.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

Mockdraftable lists Justice Hill as one of several player comparisons. Evans has compared himself to Raheem Mostert. Somewhere in between those two players sounds about right; both possess  size and speed traits very similar to Evans. While it’s to soon to tell what Hill will become, it’s possible that Evans develops and carves out a role similar to Mostert’s if he finds himself in the right circumstances at the right time.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

Currently 23rd in DLF’s rookie ADP (29th in supoerflex rookie ADP), Evans profiles as a late second to mid-third-round pick. Running backs drafted around him include Antonio Gibson, Anthony McFarland, Joshua Kelley and Lynn Bowden.  This group should be considered a third tier of rookie ball carriers behind the early first and second-rounders. Only time will tell if one or more of them develop into fantasy-relevant producers. Evans has the special teams skills and potentially has the opportunity to make an impact sooner than later. Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith recently said that Evans’ role will depend on how much he can handle. That statement confirms that his ADP is precisely where it should be.