‘We can be a great combination’: The Titans have found their ideal No. 2 back

Growing up in the football-mad state of Florida, Darrynton Evans idolized his share of stars in the making.

Some were as close as the neighborhood, such as that Raheem Mostert kid, the one who played with Evans’ older brother in Pop Warner ball and later at New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) High School. Turns out Mostert was really something, good enough to earn a scholarship to Purdue and good enough to blossom this season — his fifth in the NFL — for a 49ers team that nearly won the Super Bowl.

But there were other Florida prep stars Evans tracked as well, some who were simply legendary.

In fact, Evans recalls flipping the television on one Friday night as a 14-year-old and watching a man-child by the name of Derrick Henry thrill a national audience. Henry carried 35 times for 362 yards and six touchdowns in that game, helping Yulee High steamroll Glades Day, a team that featured Kelvin Taylor, the state’s all-time leading rusher at the time.

“It was kind of wild,” Evans said, “just (following Henry’s) career at Alabama and now Tennessee. He does a lot of great things.”

So one can only imagine what it was like for Evans on Friday night when the running back learned the Titans had selected him with the 93rd overall pick, 32 spots after they drafted LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton in the second round. Evans wasn’t just headed to any NFL team, but to the Titans, where he’ll be expected to serve as a complementary back for the man who was larger than life in the Sunshine State.

“I can’t wait to learn and just talk to him and pick his brain, you know,” Evans said of Henry, “and just try to compete and do the best that we can for the Titans.”

In time, the Titans will want Evans to serve as lightning to balance the thunder of the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry, who broke the will of opponents last season, scattering defenders as he piled up a league-high 1,540 yards on 302 carries.

If all goes according to form, Evans will likely give Henry a few more breathers in coming seasons. He’ll use his 4.41 speed in the 40-yard dash — Evans says he was once timed at 4.36 at Appalachian State — to fly past the same weary defenders who’ve been battered repeatedly by the bruising Henry.

If all goes according to form, Evans will also serve as the team’s primary third-down back, the Titans confident Evans can catch his share of passes despite the fact he snared just 39 over three seasons in the Mountaineers’ run-heavy attack.

“I would say it will work pretty well, him being a big back, and he’s actually got some speed on him, too,” Evans said of Henry. “I add to that. I can change the pace of a game, whether you need 80 yards or a quick play or just any kind of explosive plays. We can be a great combination.”

What a story that combination would be, given the vastly different roads the two players have traveled.

Henry was the five-star recruit who — at times — attracted Alabama fans by the thousands just to watch his high-school games in Florida. He had his choice of football powers, eventually picking the Crimson Tide’s storied program. Three years later, Henry was terrorizing the sport, his Heisman Trophy and national championship serving as a red-carpet path straight into the NFL.

Evans? Things were a little more challenging, dating as far back as he can remember. He had a difficult enough time just earning the respect of big brother Daryl II and his friends, who didn’t show much interest in having the little guy tag along.

“I was always too young to play with him and my older cousins,” Evans said. “Always too young. They told me, ‘You’re not big enough. You’re not old enough. You can’t do this. You can’t do that.’ So from there I just (took) it upon myself to be like, ‘I can do it.’ I just go out there and play anyways.

“Then when I actually started play recreational football, I was always playing with the older guys, a year or two older than me, but still performing the best out of everyone. So I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder.”

Still, Evans found himself battling for respect in high school, where, despite putting up big numbers, he was just another 5-foot-10, 172-pound running back in the state of Florida. Nothing but a two-star talent, per Rivals.com. That’s why the big schools never offered him scholarships. That’s why he wound up at Appalachian State in sometimes bone-chilling Boone, N.C., where Evans saw snow for the first time in his life during a recruiting visit.

Signed as an “athlete” without a defined position, Evans soon carved out at least two roles for himself, running back and kick returner. He put on 30 pounds and turned himself into a monster during his redshirt junior season of 2019, leading the Sun Belt Conference in all-purpose yards (2,064), rushing yards (1,480) and total touchdowns (24).

Sure the doubters could say Evans was running up his big totals primarily against Sun Belt opponents. But how could they explain the 78 rushing yards and three touchdowns Evans produced in Appalachian State’s stunning win over North Carolina last September? Or the 117 yards from scrimmage he racked up in a victory over South Carolina in early November? Or the kick return he took the distance in a one-touchdown loss to 12th-ranked Penn State in 2018?

“I was the lowest-rated recruit in my signing class at App,” Evans said. “(But) I kind of took that on the same way. Playing bigger teams in college — I wouldn’t do anything special. It’s just how I play. I prepare like that for every game.”

His play was enough to draw the attention of the NFL, including Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who’s shown a soft spot over the years for giving the smaller-school overachievers — the chip-on-the-shoulder kids — an opportunity.

Kevin Byard out of Middle Tennessee State? LeShaun Sims out of Southern Utah? Tajae Sharpe out of UMass? Jonnu Smith out of Florida International? Taywan Taylor out of Western Kentucky? They all fit the bill to one degree or another.

“I think whether you want to call it a chip, or internal drive, or whatever you want to term it, I think that’s a great thing,” Robinson said. “So, those guys that maybe do come from somewhat of a smaller program, or maybe they were under-recruited, whatever it may be. … As many of those guys, whatever school they come from, that have that internal drive and motivation, we’re more than happy to work with them.”

Why did Robinson believe Evans, in particular, had what it takes despite his small-school background? It wasn’t just the rushing yardage, the receiving touchdowns (five in 2019), the school-record three kick returns for touchdowns in his career. It was Evans’ willingness to hit those kick-return creases at 100 mph with opponents flying downfield at him. It was the enthusiasm Evans showed when lowering his shoulder and running through tackles. It was Evans’ eagerness to step up and stick a helmet into a linebacker when called upon in pass protection.

“I think that goes back to the earlier question about the chip on the shoulder, or the internal drive that I termed it,” Robinson said. “Those guys that fight and scrap and claw to make plays to help their football team win.”

Said Evans: “I would say I definitely carry that chip with me to the NFL. That’s just something that you have to do when you play at Appalachian State. So it’s just something I always have.”

Which is why Evans is now a teammate of the same player whose achievements once left him in awe. Evans may not be able to claim a pedigree like that of King Henry. But he’ll soon be rubbing shoulders with royalty nonetheless.

(Photo of Darrynton Evans: by Chris Thelen / Getty Images)