Mike Evans Will Be First Ballot HOF
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Mike Evans via buccaneers.com
Mike Evans has been a gem to watch over the last eight seasons. There is no doubt that when his day comes, the seventh overall pick in 2014 will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Unless you’re a Marshawn Lattimore fanboy, it’s a no-brainer when it comes to the greatness of the man we call M1K3.
Evans easily is the best receiver from the 2014 Draft Class
When you think of the 2014 Draft, names such as Khalil Mack, O’Dell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Johnny Maziel come to many people’s minds unless you’re a Bucs fan. When Tampa announced it was taking Texas A&M’s Mike Evans, fans went crazy knowing that the team was adding another tall wideout to complement Vincent Jackson.
Evans made his name known in his rookie campaign with 1,051 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, which set a franchise record for touchdowns by a rookie receiver. Then came the 2015 Draft, which brought in QB Jameis Winston. Evans would continue his streak of 1,000-yard seasons from 2015-2019, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
Evans has his name alongside the game’s greatest receivers
Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Chris Carter, Marvin Harrison, and Torry Holt are the only receivers to have a streak of eight or more 1,000-yard seasons. Now, enter Mike Evans, who has already etched his name into the record books as the only receiver to begin their career with seven straight 1,000-yard seasons, now joins those elite names as those who have done it for eight or more seasons, all being later in their careers.
Let’s not also look over the number of franchise records that Evans has set. As mentioned earlier, Evans posted the most TDs by a rookie receiver, but he also is the franchise leader in receiving yards (9,301), touchdowns (75), receptions (606), and the only player in franchise history with four seasons of 12 or more touchdowns and four games with two or more touchdowns in a season. And let’s not forget his three Pro Bowl and Super Bowl Championship (could be multiple tike by the end of his career), all by the age of 28.
Numbers don’t lie, and if Evans decided to hang up his cleats at the end of the 2021 season, there’d be no argument that he has a Hall of Fame resume, as will he earn a spot at Ray Jay as a member of the Ring of Honor.
