Mike Evans, King of the Contested Catch
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft on Mike Evans, they were hoping to get a physical, dominant receiver who was open even when he was covered.
That was the player he was at Texas A&M, and much to the Bucs' delight, that's the player he's been over his six seasons in Tampa Bay.
Evans has established himself as one of the best receivers in the entire league, and nobody in the league is better at winning contested catches, as Pro Football Focus points out:
Most receiving yards on contested targets since 2015 (WRs):
— PFF (@PFF) August 12, 2020
1. Mike Evans - 995
2. Julio Jones - 986
3. Kenny Golladay - 864
4. Marvin Jones Jr. - 857
5. DeAndre Hopkins - 807 pic.twitter.com/UPM7HM6cKp
Evans has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his six seasons in the NFL, joining Hall of Famer Randy Moss as the only two players in league history to accomplish that feat. If he does it again in 2020, Evans will be all by himself on that list by starting his career with seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
No matter what his final numbers look like this season, Evans is sure to keep proving himself to be the best in the NFL at coming down with 50/50 balls, something Tom Brady is sure to take full advantage of in 2020.