How Does He Fit?

WR Mike Evans

Texas A&M

PROS:

-       Fills need

o   The trade/giveaway of Mike Williams for a sixth-round pick from the Bills created a huge need for the Buccaneers at WR, with Vincent Jackson being the only viable starter on the roster at the moment. I doubt that Lovie and Licht want to go into the season with Louis Murphy, Eric Page, Chris Owusu and Russell Shepard as the top options behind No. 83.

-       Size

o   Standing at 6’5”, Mike Evans will be one of the taller receivers in the league. With that height and his long arms and big frame, Evans has the potential to be an absolute nightmare for opposing defensive backs.

-       Production

o   In two years of starting, Evans has produced 151 receptions, 2499 yards and 17 TDs. Pretty impressive.

CONS:

-       Possible reach at No. 7

o   Evans is a great player, but I think it would be hard to convince anyone that he is the seventh best player in this draft. That statement isn’t meant to take away from Evans or his accomplishments, but I believe he is being overvalued and mocked to the Buccaneers solely because of the need created by Mike Williams’ departure.

-       Quickness

o   Evans size/speed combination is impressive and can definitely frustrate defensive backs; however, while watching Evans’ YouTube highlights, I come away with the impression that his size is the primary reason for his success and, while that may have gotten him by in the college ranks, he may struggle in the pros. Evans is not a quick-footed receiver who will surprise with accurate, precise & sudden route running and I believe he’ll struggle to gain separation against NFL defensive backs.

-       College Offense/Route Tree

o   The offense run at Texas A&M is a big concern to me, and one of the reasons I would be hesitant to accept either Johnny Manziel or Mike Evans as Buccaneers. There was a lot of improvisational production between the two—you know, where “Johnny Football” leaves the pocket, scrambles around, evading defenders for a few seconds and then heaves up a hailmary pass to Mike Evans, who uses his size to come down with the ball—and while that’s not Evans’ fault and he did his job by catching some tough, contested passes, it still gives me pause. Another thing that concerns me is the route tree that Evans was responsible for running in college, as he served as the primary downfield threat for the Aggies.

Pairing with Vincent Jackson

PROS

-       Two very big receivers

o   Many Buccaneer fans who imagine the pairing of Mike Evans with Vincent Jackson think of the Alshon Jeffery/Brandon Marshall pairing in Chicago, only bigger. It’s definitely a possibility with two receivers standing at 6’5” and weighing over 220 pounds.

-       Dangerous red zone combination

o   Again…two receivers. Each is 6’5” with jumping ability. Fade route.

CONS

-       Too similar?

o   When looking at the Jeffery/Marshall pairing, I notice one thing beyond the receivers’ size, and that is how their styles and strengths complement one another. While Brandon Marshall has the ability to beat defenders deep and be a downfield threat, he makes his living as a possession-type receiver who excels at making catches in traffic and getting yards after the catch, which his 12.7 career yards per catch eludes to. In the Bears system, Marshall has his opportunities to go downfield, but Jeffery’s primary responsibility in the passing game is deeper routes, not often running routes shorter than the first down marker. With the combination of Evans and Jackson, I see two receivers who are more similar to Alshon Jeffery’s style of play rather than them mirroring the Bears starting tandem. Two WRs who excel at making tough, downfield catches? Sounds much like the tandem the Bucs trotted out during the 7-9 season of 2012-2013, with a bigger player starting across from Vincent Jackson. While the pairing could work well, I feel like Evans’ skillset is almost too similar to that of Jackson. He could be a great counterpart and successor to Jackson (if drafted by the Bucs and things were to work out well), but I believe the similar strengths and weaknesses could limit the offense to being one-dimensional in the passing game, much like 2012.

Here is the NFL.com draft profile of Mike Evans.