Cream Of The NFL?
November 28th, 2014
Not just rookie love for Mike Evans. (Photo courtesy of Buccaners.com)
During the rare times that helmet-hair Mel Kiper isn’t studying all things NFL Draft, he’s diving into NFL film.
Kiper, behind a BSPN pay wall, shared extensive study and data of the NFL’s incredible class of rookie wide receivers. Of course, that included Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans.
Not only does Kiper believe Evans is the cream of this incredible rookie crop, he rolled out numbers that show Evans among the NFL elite.
1. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Evans doesn’t have a singular moment, he has a better overall profile than Beckham right now — and that’s even before you consider the QB situation in Tampa.
He has more receptions (49 to 41), more receiving yards (841 to 609), more TD catches (8 to 5), and has been a beast down the field. Evans now has 17 catches of 20-plus yards, while Beckham has seven. In fact, the only two players who have more 20-plus-yard catches in the NFL are Julio Jones and Demaryius Thomas. And again, Evans has been thrown to by the highly inconsistent duo of Josh McCown and Mike Glennon. How would he do with Eli Manning?
An added note on Evans that might get overlooked: The guy will flat-out block down the field. I was going back through games and he was consistently doing a good job in that area. The little things plus a ton of big plays have him on top.
How about that! Evans is playing in the big-play league of Julio Jones and Damaryius Thomas, receivers with elite quarterbacks chucking them the ball — and Evans missed a game and a half.
Joe will be watching closely to see whether Evans hits a rookie wall. Sadly, his 35-year-old quarterback seemed to hit one in Chicago.
November 28th, 2014 at 12:07 pm
GUY IS A MONSTER
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!!!
November 28th, 2014 at 12:08 pm
lol at Matt Ryan being elite. Ryan is a clear third tier guy behind the actual elite (Manning, Rodgers, Brady) and the next wave (Luck, Wilson, Roethlesberger). But he is hardly elite.
November 28th, 2014 at 12:08 pm
Im sure I haven’t caught every play but I saw Glennon overthrow him for at least three TDs and I have seen Josh underthrow him at least five times on long balls.
Just think guys. This guy has only been playing organized football for 3 and a half years.!!!
November 28th, 2014 at 12:10 pm
I’m still amazed that Lovie did’nt pass on selecting Evans with the Bucs first pick. At least the Bucs and their fans have a fine player to build around. Giving credit for credit due.
November 28th, 2014 at 12:44 pm
Joe probably still wishes we had drafted Manziel with the #7 overall pick. LOL
Kudos to L&L for picking the best player available with our pick in the 1st round. Hopefully we can add another stud with our 1st (high) pick next draft at any of the many positions of need. QB would be nice – but you can’t control the draft order without overpaying – so as long as we get the BPA with our 1st round pick – whether that is a QB, OT, DE or MLB – the team will improve.
Congrats to Mike Evans for a great rookie season so far – keep it up Mike. We are glad to have you as a Buccaneer.
November 28th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Not sure if we need some scribe to confirm what we know and is obvious. And Joe we don’t need you watching to tell us if he has hit a wall. The fans that watch the game will know. It is nice to be able to get recognized in a disastrous season.
November 28th, 2014 at 12:55 pm
Trade a 3rd and glennon for johnny. Then draft o line 2-4-5
November 28th, 2014 at 12:57 pm
@Bucrightoff
Agree completely with your assessment of elite QB’s and the fact that Matty Ice is in the next tier with guys like Flacco.
I consider this group of guys good enough to win a Super Bowl with the right team. Another way of saying they won’t keep you from winning like our current QB’s. But the truly elite seem to be able to carry a team but even that has it’s limitations..see Dan Marino..he made just one SB and never got back again.
Watching the game last night I was surprised by the play of both QB’s. I’ve come to respect Wilson more and more every time I watch him play. Talk about a guy with no visible great talents as in a cannon arm, or good size. He’s a short dude who is never the less a great athlete but I think what separates Wilson from Kaepernik and other more impressive physical specimens (include Jameis as far more imposing physically than Wilson) is above the neck. Wilson is just a very smart player who knows where to go with the ball and when. His judgments are rarely off.
November 28th, 2014 at 12:59 pm
I was searching around for stuff to write an article for my site about Evans and found this. Looking at his numbers last year, he was second in the SEC and 7th in the Nation. What really stands out to me when you look at the chart is that he had all of his best games in the Biggest Games
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/03/10/nfl-draft-profiles-mike-evans/
November 28th, 2014 at 4:54 pm
Ummm….his quarterback seems to have hit a rookie wall?
November 28th, 2014 at 6:22 pm
Joe, what is with your site forcing me to fill out all my information every time I go to make a comment? Then when I write a long comment I get an error message that I already said that and it wipes out what I said. Pretty pathetic!!!
Really not sure what you’re talking about. Your comment is here. –Joe
November 29th, 2014 at 9:13 am
@Owlykat
If you cleared your search history and cookies then you have to re-fill out the information… The other part I have no idea.
Back to the article… They failed to mention ODB missed the first 4 or 5 games I believe as he has only played in 7 games this year.. Not downgrading Evans at all just stating facts.. The kid has been a stud and am very excited for his future here.. He should be enough of a reason to go out and draft a QB next year high in the draft.