(Photo: Newsweek)
Let’s rewind and look back at the 2014 NFL Draft. It’s hard to believe this happened 12 years ago. This was the class when Jadeveon Clowney was the first overall pick by the Houston Texans, Khalil Mack became a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, and the New York Giants selected Odell Beckham Jr.. An all-time great defensive player also fell to the then–St. Louis Rams at No. 13 in Aaron Donald. With the seventh pick in the first round that year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected a wide receiver from Texas A&M Aggies football named Mike Evans. I remember watching him during his college days with those Aggies, with Johnny Manziel as his quarterback. Nowadays in sports, it’s shocking when a player spends more than five years with the original team he entered the league with. As Mike enters his 13th season in the league, he will be wearing a new uniform for the first time in his career and will play this year with the San Francisco 49ers.
Mike is one of the best wide receivers of his generation, and I’ve often felt that he has been extremely underrated since coming into the league. He was born with that it factor. You either have that gene within you or you don’t, and whenever you’ve needed him to make a big-time play, Mike has always answered the call and delivered. Physically, he’s a freak of nature at 6’5″, and he’s quick out of his releases while using his build to his full advantage against defenders. Mike is the combination of size, catch radius, and production, which has made him a prototypical number-one receiver in the National Football League. He almost always has the edge in those one-on-one battles. I always say if you don’t double him, he makes you pay, as he is dominant on those 50/50 passes where you can simply lob the ball up and he will come down with it—no questions asked. This is a true vertical threat with long-stride speed. He tracks the ball very well and is dangerous on go routes and fades. Mike is the guy you target in the red zone, especially with his height. He may not be a burner like so many receivers in the league today, but he has those long strides that I mentioned to power his way past a defensive back.
I never thought I’d see the day where he’d leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but here we are. I’m just as shocked as many others are after this news dropped. Mike is one of the most consistent receivers in the history of the sport. He recorded 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the first 11 years of his career, which is the second-most to start a career, with Jerry Rice still holding the record at 12. Anytime you can be mentioned alongside the greatest wide receiver to ever play this game is an honor in itself. Mike’s career mirrors that of Larry Fitzgerald, and I say that because, much like the newly minted Hall of Famer, Mike has played with several quarterbacks throughout his career—from Jameis Winston to Mike Glennon to Baker Mayfield, and of course Tom Brady. If he can stay healthy, this is a good move for the San Francisco 49ers offense, and it gives Brock Purdy another weapon on the perimeter.
