Spreadsheeters Love Mike Evans
November 14th, 2014
(Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
Each draft, folks wearing suits in Manhattan try to give each draft class a label of some sort. You know, “Year of the Quarterback” or “Draft Class of Linebackers.”
This past spring could have been the draft of the wide receiver. Many went early, more so than Joe can remember in recent history. Of course, the Bucs joined the fun by selecting Mike Evans.
After a few speed bumps, Evans has come on strong and one could say he is the go-to guy for Bucs quarterbacks. And the spreadsheeters have fallen in love with Evans as a result.
The folks over at Pro Football Focus recently studied the performances of rookie receivers, and they graded Evans at No. 1 overall. Below is the chart they Twittered out yesterday. (FYI: Green = good; red = warning.)
Tony Pisano of ProFootballFocus.com offers up his take on the play and development of Evans.
My Two Cents: Much like Watkins I wish I could see Evans play with a capable quarterback. He is on fire lately scoring five touchdowns in his last five games. Evans is also averaging nearly 90 yards per game over that stretch. If quarterback Josh McCown can just figure a way to throw it in the general area of Evans, he could have a big end to the year.
In hindsight, there were a lot of issues with the player evaluation by overlord of football operations Lovie Smith. But when it came to the draft, it sure seems like general manager Jason Licht nailed his very first pick.
November 14th, 2014 at 9:09 am
Can he rush the passer?…..Perhaps ME13 could do double-duty!!!
November 14th, 2014 at 9:10 am
Great start but….here’s a few names: Cadillac Williams, Josh Freeman, Doug Martin, Michael Clayton….not really a huge fan of saying a GM “nailed it” after half a season….The same was said with our offseason acquisitions as well during the preseason yet we sit 1-8. The only thing “nailed” is another losing season, disinterested fans and a top draft pick.
November 14th, 2014 at 9:11 am
As Buc fans, is that all we can hope for… nailing the first pick of the draft?
November 14th, 2014 at 9:34 am
So we have a all world receiver and no one to throw him the ball. Recipe for being mediocre. It is a step in the right direction, only if we get a competent QB.
November 14th, 2014 at 9:39 am
Winston please.
November 14th, 2014 at 9:45 am
I think Evans has proved he doesn’t need a good QB for him to be productive. I think I could be QB, and Evans still be a stud!! The team though? Ya the team needs a better QB.
November 14th, 2014 at 9:48 am
@Hawk – The 1st round pick is all you need to get right. In just 22 years you’ll have a complete team.
November 14th, 2014 at 9:53 am
We can make everything right with Mr. Mariota at the helm, WR’s, RB’s, and the O-line, for the next 12 years. I believe that Mr. Licht has his vision, but it all starts with a horrible season. Stick to the plan Bucs, full speed ahead.
November 14th, 2014 at 10:10 am
@ theodore
LOL!
November 14th, 2014 at 10:14 am
Nailed it!!!!
Bobby. Cadillac shouldn’t be on that list. Not his fault that he blew out his knees. No one could have for seen that.
November 14th, 2014 at 10:18 am
Last paragraph “in hindsight..” BS joe…
Yes, Mike Evans is a good players. The Carolina Rookie WR aint so?
Brandon Cooks… all (way) later picks…. speaking of value….
Bucs aint have no pass rush, Aaron Donald, who everyone knew, was a top “penetrator” as DT we could have drafted… no, we didn´t – why would have been better?: VALUE
Similar talented WR could have been had later (carolina) similar GREAT PENETRATING COLLEGE DT?? NAH..
CONCLUSION: BUCS CHOSE A (VERY) GOOD PLAYER/WR IN MIKE EVANS – DID THEY NAILED IT??? NO
ALSO: from team building standpoint: why the heck not keeeping Mike williams and drafting a WR second round or 3rd and a GOOD O_LINE PROSPECT with the other….. the talent pool was there…. heck bucs are BSing the stupid fans, and making the ones with knowledge angy… very angry, just look at all the veterans…
November 14th, 2014 at 10:44 am
I wouldn’t put Cadillac on that list either. He had a plantar fasciitis and if you have ever had that then you know it hurts like a SOB. Then he had damage to both knees that affect his acceleration and elusiveness. Before those injuries, he was clearly one of the best RBs in the league.
November 14th, 2014 at 10:50 am
Simply put….your picks are judged by a) staying on the field and b) production on the field. My point is they all had “great opening acts” that never equated to productive careers. We can talk about how great Cadillac Williams could have been but GMs don’t keep their jobs on “what ifs”…they stay employed on production. Evans is off to a great start…so was Mike Williams. The media likes to fast forward to the pro bowl/hall of game with a slew of assumptions based on a small sample of data…These players drink the Kool aid and end up flaming out like Freeman and Williams….or Clayton…or Martin
November 14th, 2014 at 10:52 am
Lovie might be smarter than you think…tank this season, get your qb for next 10 years and middle line backer for future
November 14th, 2014 at 10:54 am
Ask Bowers how delicious the Kool Aid is…that cat still is reading his college scouting reports and is certain that he’s simply not being utilized properly….Hopefully Evans is a “player” and not a “playa” as Gruden used to say.
November 14th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Evans is the reason Johnny “spoiled rotten” Football looked better than he was. Evans made some amazing catches to bail out the marginal Browns back up QB.
November 14th, 2014 at 1:48 pm
That’s pretty awesome really. If ASJ ever stops sh*tting the bed, and Charles Sims turns into Thurman Thomas, the 2014 Bucs draft could be memorable.
November 14th, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Stop bringing up former bucs draft fails when it comes to Evans. They all just had good rookie years but none of them had the athletic ability to dominate like Evans
November 14th, 2014 at 10:16 pm
Luther Says:
November 14th, 2014 at 10:44 am
I wouldn’t put Cadillac on that list either. He had a plantar fasciitis and if you have ever had that then you know it hurts like a SOB. Then he had damage to both knees that affect his acceleration and elusiveness. Before those injuries, he was clearly one of the best RBs in the league.
————-
Plantar fascitis? Hardly career ending, not a big deal. Millions of Americans deal with plantar fascitis without expensive massage therapists, great pain killing drugs, and top notch physical therapists.
Williams WAS NEVER one of the best RBs in the league. After he burst onto the scene with 3 straight great performances, he came back down to earth for the rest of his career. He was VERY average after those first 3 games, probably less than average. When he went down with his first knee injury, he was playing so poorly he had started splitting carries with Earnest Graham.