Future Hall of Famer Praises Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and Young Corps as He Chases Jerry Rice’s Record
TAMPA, Fla. – Mike Evans has been around awhile. Asked to evaluate his wide receiver teammates on the Bucs, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer didn’t hesitate.
“This is one of the most, if not the most talented group of receivers I’ve been a part of,” Evans said. High praise from a Super Bowl Champion. What does Evans think about 1st first-round pick out of Ohio State, Emeka Egbuka?
“I have seen what I expected to see from Emeka,” Evans said. “Already a true professional. He’s an unbelievable playmaker and is going to have a great career in this league.”
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Evans’ longtime teammate Chris Godwin is out indefinitely, rehabbing from surgery on his dislocated ankle. But 2nd-year Jalen McMillan is looking to take that next step, throwing in veteran Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, Rakeem Jarrett, along with 7th-round pick Tez Johnson, Evans is excited to see what kind of damage this offense can do in the passing game. Evans is especially intrigued by the rookie Johnson.
“With the ball in his hands, he’s a crazy athlete,” Evans said. “He catches the ball really well, for a smaller, faster guy. He is super positive, a fun guy, very down to earth.”
Evans is in his 12th NFL season, all in Tampa Bay. The sometimes, under-the-radar superstar is on the cusp of breaking Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive 1,000 receiving yard seasons. Evans ranks Rice as his #1 receiver of all time and says he’s thankful that his coaches and teammates are pulling hard for him to break the record.
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“That is what makes it even sweeter, that people want it as bad as I do,” Evans said.
New offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard says Evans has been mentoring the young receivers, and Evans and Godwin are acting as if they are assistant coaches.
“We just had a walkthrough and we can coach it up, but Chris (Godwin) and Mike were coaching the concept just as myself and (wide receivers coach) B-Mac (Bryan McClendon) were,” Grizzard said. “I can’t imagine what they talk about off the field on how to be a pro and how to conduct themselves.”
Evans says he’s actually enjoying training camp and is just taking it one season at a time. He honestly doesn’t know how long he’s going to play. But with this group and having Baker Mayfield as his QB, it’s making this season as enjoyable for him as ever.
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