The Tennessee Titans are firing on all cylinders as a football team, but most notably have one of the league’s most unstoppable ground games, founded on star running back Derrick Henry.
The big back was the heart and soul of Tennessee’s offense in 2019, finishing out the season with the NFL’s rushing title (1,540 yards) over Cleveland’s Nick Chubb, and played a crucial role in propelling the team through its run to the AFC Championship Game.
But what about the rushers behind him?
General manager Jon Robinson and the Titans addressed that area in the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting Appalachian State running back Darrynton Evans with the No. 93 overall pick in the third round.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report seems to believe Evans will be the Titans’ biggest X-factor in the upcoming season.
“Tennessee may be able to continue its ground assault while resting Henry,” he wrote. “The Appalachian State product is a physical runner in his own right. While the 5’10”, 203-pound Evans doesn’t pack quite the same wallop as the 6’3″, 247-pound Henry, he is capable of handling a heavy workload. Evans, who rushed for 1,480 yards last season, is better suited to pounding the ball than former Titans backup Dion Lewis.”
The presence of Evans makes Henry that much stronger, too.
“The mere idea that they could face a well-rested Henry in the fourth quarter should be enough to rattle the opposition,” Knox wrote.
Any rookie should be expected to have at least some slight hiccups as he enters the NFL, but it will be interesting to see just how much of an impact player Evans can become early on.
