NFL Draft results 2014: Mike Evans goes to Buccaneers at No. 7 overall
Mike Evans became the second wide receiver off the board in the NFL Draft, going No. 7 overall to the Buccaneers.
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Mike Evans, who paired with Johnny Manziel to make a fearsome offensive combo at Texas A&M, has been taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Evans, a big-bodied wideout with elite high-pointing ability, teamed with Manziel to produce one of the top quarterback-receiver pairs in college football over the last two seasons. After a redshirt year, Evans broke onto the scene in 2012 with a 1,105-yard, five-touchdown season. He followed that up with an All-American sophomore campaign, going for 1,394 yards and an SEC-best 12 touchdown receptions.
Evans gives the Bucs offense an incredible target to pair with Vincent Jackson. Sander Philipse writes:
Evans is a 6’5, 231 lbs. receiver who’s eerily similar to Vincent Jackson. While he isn’t the fastest receiver, his stride length allows him to consistently get behind defensive backs, and he uses his big body well to consistently win jump balls. While he’s not the explosive, yards-after-catch receiver the Bucs ideally want, he’ll be a very productive receiver for them, provide an instant boost to their offense, and could be the future replacement for Vincent Jackson.
As SB Nation’s Matthew Fairburn writes in his scouting report, size is Evans’ biggest weapon on the football field.
For a player his size, Evans displays excellent body control along the sideline. He’s very aware of where he is on the field. More importantly, he does a fine job coming back to the football and getting proper body position on cornerbacks and presents a big target for his quarterback. Evans doesn’t have any issues tracking the ball and adjusting his body to make catches over either shoulder.
With that size comes a few drawbacks, the first of which is a lack of elite speed, though his 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was far from slow. He’s also been knocked for his route running. He makes up for his lack of separation ability by being able to go up and outmuscle defenders for the ball, however.
Evans came in at No. 7 on SB Nation’s top 200 big board, making him the No. 2 receiver behind Sammy Watkins of Clemson.
Combine results
Height: 6’5
Weight: 231 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.53 seconds
Bench press: 12 reps
Vertical jump: 37.0”
3-cone drill: 7.08 seconds
20-yard shuffle: 4.26 seconds
60-yard shuffle: 11.58 seconds
Tall with long arms and excellent body control, Evans is a nightmare matchup in the red zone. He lacks the straightaway speed of Calvin Johnson, but compares favorably to Alshon Jeffery of the Chicago Bears, who broke out in 2013 thanks largely to his ability to go up for balls in the end zone. In fact, Evans stands two inches taller and had a slightly higher vertical jump than Jeffery.
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