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Many would argue that outside of Odell Beckham, Jr., Mike Evans was the most impressive of the outstanding class of rookie wide receivers in 2014. While Beckham, Jr. received much of the hype for his circus catches and absurd yardage totals, Evans gave him a run for his money in touchdowns, hauling in 12 in just 15 games. Evans’ numbers are even more impressive considering that he had Mike Glennon and Josh McCown throwing to him, and with the (hopefully) more competent Jameis Winston under center for the Buccaneers in 2015, Evans should improve on his numbers from last season.
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Anyone watching even a quarter of Tampa Bay football last year (although I’m not sure why you would be) could see that Evans was the clear number one option despite the presence of veteran Vincent Jackson. While Jackson will still have a role again in 2015, I believe he’s the clear number two option in that offense. Even though Jackson might finish with more yardage (he also managed just over 1,000 yards in 2014), Evans will likely be Winston’s safety blanket in the end zone. I’m not sure he can match his touchdown totals form last year, but eight touchdowns is probably his floor. He still managed over 1,000 yards, thanks in large part to his Week 11 abuse of the Redskins secondary where he managed an absurd 209 yards, and I fully expect him to improve on that number.
His fate will of course be tied to Jameis Winston’s progress. As the number one overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, he should be NFL-ready right away. However, the NFL is a different beast from college football, and a learning curve is not out of the question. This will mean one of two things for Evans—either Winston struggles so badly that the passing game is too lackluster to yield superstar receiver stat lines, or he peppers Evans with targets when he gets in trouble. I think the latter is more likely, and should keep Evans firmly entrenched as a WR1 for the season.
As of the writing of this article, Evans is currently going 29th overall in ESPN drafts, which makes him the WR12. This means you’ll likely have to spend a second-round pick on him, and I think that’s justified. Despite his current ranking, he could very well finish as a top five wide receiver in 2015. If you’re picking in the top half of the second round, you should have better receiving options available to you (Jordy Nelson, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, etc.), but in the second half Evans is a great choice. He has plenty of dynasty and keeper value, as he was likely drafted in Round 10 or later last year. He’s a surefire superstar in the making, and should be a stud for many years to come.
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