CBS Sports Lists Buccaneers' Mike Evans As Top Draft Value

Mike Evans was an early first-round pick, but his projection may have warranted him going even higher.

Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrates the / Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Evans was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That's a high pick, but 11 years later, he may even seem undervalued.

CBS Sports certainly seems to think so, at least. Writer Cody Benjamin made a list of 15 players who have had the highest value while picked at their position in the last 10 NFL Drafts, and Evans came in high on the list at No. 7. Here is what the article had to say about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout:

"Like Josh Allen above, Evans clearly entered with high expectations; you don't draft a wideout in the top 10 if you don't expect a difference-maker. But Evans' steadiness has him on a literal Hall of Fame trajectory. He has an NFL-record 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, close to 100 career scores and played a key role in Tampa's 2020 Super Bowl title.

All of that is true, and Evans has played well enough to get a big two-year contract deal worth up to $52 million at 30 years old. And while it may be silly to say that Evans should have been picked higher as a Top 10 pick, the question is an interesting one when you look at who was picked above him.

The Buffalo Bills will certainly be kicking themselves, as they picked Sammy Watkins out of Clemson as opposed to Evans. Watkins has never so much as made a Pro Bowl and only played for the Bills for three seasons while Evans is still in Tampa Bay after 10 of them. Likewise, three of the six players drafted before him are out of the league entirely five of those six before Evans didn't play their whole career for the same team — all except for Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews, who was Evans' teammate at Texas A&M.

Evans' value as a Buccaneer cannot be understated, and his legacy in Tampa Bay is secure for the rest of his life. And if other GMs could do it over, most would likely not let Evans get to Jason Licht at No. 7 in 2014.

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