Evans attended Auburn University and was a student and a college football star. In football, he finished his three-year career with 149 rushing attempts for 626 yards (4.2 yards per rush) and six touchdowns, and 30 receptions for 354 yards (11.8 yards per reception) and a touchdown.

Evans was the first fullback taken in the 2001 NFL Draft, with the Seattle Seahawks selecting him in the third round. Evans spent four years in Seattle blocking for best friend Shaun Alexander before signing with the Miami Dolphins in the spring of 2005. While in Miami, Evans was re-united with former Auburn tailback Ronnie Brown (with whom he was a team-mate in 2000), but was unexpectedly cut six weeks into the season (despite garnering two starts and playing in all 6 games). One week later, the New England Patriots had announced they signed Evans for the remainder of the 2005 season. On November 16 of that year, he filled in for an injured Corey Dillon at tailback against his former team and rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries (4.9ypc) and caught 3 passes for 18 yards, subsequently leading the Patriots to victory. On March 23, 2006, the Patriots re-signed Evans as an unrestricted free agent to another one-year contract. He is currently the starting fullback for the Patriots and also plays on special teams.