Lee TaylorThe Rams picked up undrafted free agent Tiyon Evans after he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s the fourth back on the roster, after rookie Zach Evans, sophomore Kyren Williams, and rookie Cam Akers.
Tiyon Evans was a “raw talent” who didn’t receive much attention before the selection. Scouts seem to think he has NFL potential, but they also think he’ll have to put in a lot of work to realize that potential.
T. Evans possibly fell in the draft since he missed a lot of games as a collegiate player because of ankle issues.
Nonetheless, Tiyon is athletic enough that I think this is a safe landing position for him. The Rams haven’t had a reliable starting quarterback in quite some time despite the team’s heavy reliance on the ground game. Akers finished the season strong, although his achilles injury and other strange issues have not fully healed. Williams still has much to show, and Zach Evans was drafted in the sixth round, so the two didn’t have a huge gap in draft capital.
Without Akers, I expect a lot of room in the backfield. It remains to be seen who emerges from the competition between Zach Evans, Tiyon Evans, Kyren Williams, and Ronnie Rivers this summer and in preseason to be the Rams’ No. 2 running back.
We need to see how the backfield looks this summer, just like every other undrafted free agency, before deciding if Evans is worth picking. Evans has the potential to be a solid contributor to a high-quality offense if he is given a higher role.
POSITIVES
Backs with a low center of gravity, like Tiyon Evans. His 225-pound frame makes him a formidable prospect as a running back.
Evans isn’t a home run threat, but he has enough speed to get by linebackers on outer zone runs.
He rushes into collision at top speed and maintains forward momentum to gain ground. Because of his excellent lateral movement and sudden stopping power, Evas is very difficult to capture in outer space. Although Evans was rarely utilized in the passing game, he possesses soft hands and is adequate at pass-catching.
NEGATIVES
Evans’ lack of smoothness as a runner is one of his main drawbacks. He has trouble keeping time and failing to form blocks.
He is not a reliable pass-catcher and contributes nothing in the return game.
Evans isn’t the speediest back, so he won’t be able to outrun most linebackers.
As a result, he has been typecast as more of a committee player and is seen as a “non-factor” on third down. On 83 attempts, he lost three fumbles for Louisville.
Evans may be more injury-prone than we’d like because he missed time each season due to ailments.
Mike Farrell
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