Zach Evans introducing himself pic.twitter.com/PnVTnp5CwQ

— Rams Brothers (@RamsBrothers) April 29, 2023

Rams select RB Zach Evans after trading up 37 spots to No. 215 https://t.co/an1BHsmesx

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) April 29, 2023

ZACH EVANS | Ole Miss 5111 | 202 lbs. | 3JR Houston, Texas (North Shore) 5/30/2001 (age 21.91) #6

BACKGROUND: Zachary “Zach” Evans, who is the youngest of five boys, was raised northeast of downtown Houston by his mother (Antoinette). He followed in the footsteps of his older brothers and started playing football in elementary school and emerged as an up-and-coming star in middle school. Evans enrolled at Galena Park North Shore High School, where he was a four-year varsity letterman as a running back. He rushed for 1,483 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore and was recognized as the District’s Newcomer of the Year. As a junior, Evans led North Shore to a 15-0 record and No. 1 ranking nationally, including the 2018 6A state championship. He finished his junior year with 1,784 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns and was named the National Player of the Year. Evans again helped North Shore to the 6A state title in 2019, although he was suspended for the championship game (third game he missed as a senior because of suspension). He finished his senior year with 1,600 rushing yards (12.6 yards per carry) and 20 touchdowns, earning first team All-American and All-State honors. Evans earned MVP honors at the Under Armor All-American Game. He finished his prep career with 4,867 rushing yards and 76 touchdowns. A five-star recruit, Evans was the No. 2 running back in the 2020 recruiting class (behind Bijan Robinson) and the No. 1 recruit in Texas. He ranked No. 16 overall
nationally and was the highest-ranked running back from Texas since Adrian Peterson at one point during his recruitment. As a freshman, he received his first scholarship offer from LSU, which had recently signed another North Shore product K’Lavon Chaisson. Shortly after, the recruiting floodgates opened, and Evans was offered a full ride from almost every national program. During his senior season, he announced four finalists: Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M. Evans signed with Georgia during the early signing period but planned to wait until the All-American Game to reveal his choice. But he delayed the announcement, and Georgia released him from his letter of intent in January. Evans reopened his recruitment and was reportedly considering LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M. But national signing day came and went without Evans choosing a school. A few months later in May 2020, Evans enrolled at TCU, which surprised everyone who tracked his roller coaster recruitment. He was not only the highest-ranked recruit in the Horned Frogs’ 2020 class (one spot ahead of wide receiver Quentin Johnston), but he was highest-ranked recruit in the history of the program (TCU’s first five-star signee). After two seasons in Fort Worth, Evans elected to enter the transfer portal and resurfaced at Ole Miss for the 2022 season. His father figure growing up was his grandfather (Albert), who passed away in September 2018. Evans elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.

YEAR (GP/GS) CAR YDS AVG TD REC YDS AVG TD NOTES
2020: (9/3) 54 418 7.7 4 8 76 9.5 0 TCU; Started the final three games
2021: (6/5) 92 648 7.0 5 10 130 13.0 1 TCU; Led team in rushing; Missed six games (turf toe)
2022: (12/8) 144 936 6.5 9 12 119 9.9 1 Ole Miss; Missed one game (hip)
Total: (27/16) 290 2,002 6.9 18 30 325 10.8 2

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 5111 202 31 5/8 10 1/4 78 1/2 – – – – – – – – (no workout – left hamstring)
PRO DAY 5111 208 31 1/4 10 1/8 76 7/8 4.50 2.57 1.57 33 1/2 10’1” 4.25 6.89 – (no bench press – choice)

STRENGTHS: Sleek, balanced runner with an athletic build … displays the lower body explosiveness to nimbly burst in any direction … matches his vision with his onestep acceleration to clear holes and speed away from the crowd … skillfully weaves through traffic and shows a natural understanding of run angles … at his best on pitch/toss plays that get him on an outside track … shows a breakaway gear to distance himself from the crowd … inconsistent push-the-pile power but builds up speed, lowers his pads and barrels through contact at the second and third levels … uses a physical stiff-arm to fend off tacklers … catches the ball well on the move and should excel in the screen/swing game … wasn’t overused in college, logging only 320 offensive touches … consistently created chunk plays (averaged nearly 7.0 yards per carry and 11.0 yards per catch over his three-year career).

WEAKNESSES: Upright runner with inconsistent pad level … undeveloped patience and block reading between the tackles … occasionally runs with blinders and will miss some backside opportunities … his legs lose life at contact as an inside runner … makes some curious second-level decisions and needs to do a better job settling his feet to set up open-field cuts … true pass protection reps were rare on film and unproven as a blocker … will run before securing throws (five drops on 43 career targets) … wasn’t a return man in college and has minimal special teams experience … the character and medical vetting process will be imperative … he was suspended twice as a senior in high school for “violating team rules” and missed three games, including the 2019 state championship game … battled several injuries the past two seasons: missed six of the final seven games as a sophomore with a turf toe injury (October 2021); missed one game as a junior with a hip injury (September 2022); knocked out of the Alabama game with a concussion (November 2022); sidelined for the NFL Scouting Combine with a left hamstring injury (March 2023).

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Ole Miss, Evans shared the workload with SEC Freshman of the Year Quinshon Judkins in head coach Lane Kiffin’s RPO-based scheme. His carries and rushing production increased each of his three college seasons, although he accounted for only 23.5 percent of the Rebels’ carries in 2022. With his explosive one-cut skills, Evans has fantastic feet to give defenders the slip and excels with an outside track, using his acceleration to win the corner, out-angle pursuit and weave through the defense. His all-gas run style can be effective (22.9 percent of his carries in 2022 resulted in a 10-plus-yard gain), but he would also benefit with improved patience to better set-up blocks and force missed tackles. Overall, Evans has some baggage and a few undeveloped areas on his NFL résumé, but there is no denying his burst and balance to create explosive plays in different ways. A boom-or-bust prospect, he has the athletic talent to be a dynamic change-of-pace option and offers RB1 potential for an NFL offense.

GRADE: 3rd-4th Round

PUKA NACUA | BYU 6015 | 201 lbs. | 4SR Provo, Utah (Orem) 5/29/2001 (age 21.91) #12

BACKGROUND: Makea “Puka” (Poo-kuh) Nacua (Nah-koo-uh), who is one of six children, was born and raised in Las Vegas and started playing pee wee football at age 5. When Puka was in seventh grade in 2012, his father (Lionel) passed away at age 45 after a lifelong battle with diabetes. Nacua’s mother (Penina) moved the family to Provo, Utah, in 2013 to be closer to family. Nacua attended Orem High School, where he saw immediate varsity reps as a freshman wide receiver, posting 23 catches for 265 yards and two scores. As a sophomore, he registered 48 receptions for 977 yards and five touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-State honors. As a junior, Nacua led Orem to a 12-2 record and the 4A state championship, earning first team All-State honors with 87 catches for 1,692 yards and 24 touchdowns. As a senior, he set single-season school records with 103 catches for 2,336 yards and 26 touchdowns. Nacua led Orem to back-to-back 4A state titles, and he cleaned
up on the award circuit, including the 2018 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, Utah’s Mr. Football and first team All-American. He finished his career with the Utah high school records for receptions (261), receiving yards (5,270) and receiving touchdowns (57). Nacua lettered in basketball and earned second team All-State honors as a junior. He also lettered in track and broke the 46-year-old state record in the long jump (23 feet 10.25 inches) to win the 4A state championship as a senior. Nacua finished his career with personal bests in the 100 meters (11.01) and 200 meters (22.38). A four-star recruit, Nacua was the No. 22 wide receiver in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 1 recruit in Utah. With family ties at BYU and Utah, he received offers from both schools after his freshman year of high school. Nacua had his pick of just about any West Coast school and initially committed to USC the summer before his senior year. However, he kept his recruitment open and officially flipped to Washington on signing day, mostly because of his relationship with wide receiver coach Junior Adams (who helped develop current Rams receiver Cooper Kupp at Eastern Washington). After two seasons with the Huskies, Nacua decided to transfer to BYU in 2021 to be closer to his family, specifically his maternal grandmother, who had cancer. His older brother (Kai) played safety at BYU (2013-16) and went unselected in the 2017 NFL Draft but has played for six NFL teams over the past six seasons, most recently with the New York Jets in 2022. His older brother (Isaiah) was a defensive lineman at BYU (2014). His older brother (Samson) walked on and played five years as a wide receiver at Utah (2016-20) before transferring to BYU for his final season in 2021 (teammates with Puka). Nacua accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl but suffered a concussion during the first practice and missed the rest of the week.

YEAR (GP/GS) REC YDS AVG TD DROP NOTES
2019: (8/3) 7 168 24.0 2 1 Washington; Missed the final five games (broken foot)
2020: (3/0) 9 151 16.8 1 3 Washington; Led team in receiving; Missed one game (COVID)
2021: (12/7) 43 805 18.7 6 3 BYU; Led team in receiving yards, TDs; Missed one game (injury)
2022: (9/8) 48 625 13.0 5 3 BYU; Led team in receiving; 5 rushing TDs; Team captain; Missed four games (right ankle, hamstring)
Total: (32/18) 107 1,749 16.3 14 10

HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6015 201 31 1/2 9 1/2 74 7/8 – – – – – – – – (no workout – right toe)
PRO DAY 6016 210 32 9 5/8 75 1/2 4.56 2.64 1.62 33 10’1” 4.36 7.32 15

STRENGTHS: Smooth athlete with quiet, controlled upfield strides … saw a high volume of screens and quick-throws to take advantage of his vision and toughness (five rushing touchdowns in 2022) … outstanding body control and feel when the ball is in the air, allowing him to adjust/high-point … catch timing and focus help him make grabs over defenders … doesn’t shrink from route contact and maintains his focus to secure contested catches (see 2022 Boise State tape) … displays crafty footwork mid-pattern to leverage defenders out of position or expose space in zone … voted a senior captain and has the pedigree of a competitor (NFL scout: “Our coaches are going to love this guy.”) … benefits from the “older brother” theory with three older brothers who played high-level college football.

WEAKNESSES: More quick than sudden and doesn’t have the top-end speed that scares defenses … the burst out of his breaks is average … occasionally false steps and exposes his chest vs. press coverage … can be baited into extra contact downfield … marginal experience on special teams coverages … NFL scouts have voiced concern about his durability as he battled numerous minor issues in his career … suffered a sprained right ankle in the 2022 season opener (September 2022) and missed the following two games; he also missed time after suffering a hamstring injury (September 2022); a broken foot in practice (October 2019) ended his freshman season and required surgery; pulled out of the Senior Bowl after one practice because of a concussion (January 2023); unable to test at the combine because of a right toe injury (March 2023).

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at BYU, Nacua was an inside and outside receiver in offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s balanced scheme. A record-setting athlete in high school, he spent two seasons at Washington before transferring to Provo, where he led the Cougars in receiving as a junior and senior despite battling multiple injuries. With his body control and focus, Nacua can win one-on-one situations on the outside or provide an underneath target as a zone-beater. Though there aren’t questions about his ball skills, he might lack the pure speed that teams covet outside the numbers and the suddenness desired in the slot. Overall, Nacua needs to prove he can stay healthy and on the field at the next level, but he is smart, tough and athletic with the locked-in concentration that gives him a fighting chance to earn an NFL roster spot.

Puka Nacua blocking, jet sweeps, screens, getting things done pic.twitter.com/rM8znBOl5T

— RAMZILLA (@elitster) April 29, 2023