Mitchell Evans of Notre Dame may have had to wait a little longer than anticipated to hear his name called in a draft class full of tight ends selected in the first two days of the NFL Draft—six, to be exact—but that all changed on Saturday when the senior was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round, 113th overall.
As soon as he arrived at South Bend, the former high school quarterback switched to tight end, and his role grew yearly. Before being selected to start as a junior, Evans spent his first two seasons supporting current Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer.
The Ohio native caught 29 receptions for 422 yards and one score in seven games as a junior, including a career-high seven catches for 75 yards against Ohio State.
Evans had another excellent season this past season, building on a strong junior year. He was named a semifinalist for the John Mackey award, which is presented to the best tight end in the country, after finishing with a team-high 43 receptions for 421 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games as a senior.
Although Evans’ senior year wasn’t quite what everyone had anticipated, keep in mind that he was still recuperating from a season-ending knee injury that he had suffered halfway through his junior year.
He had a solid combine going up to the draft after blossoming in the last stretch as a senior. He tied for the fastest 10-yard split of any tight end.
Evans might be a valuable go-to player for Panthers quarterback Bryce Young if he slides a little, but for the time being, expect Evans to join the squad and play a lot of special teams snaps as a second or third string tight end.
It’s a fantastic circumstance, he has the potential to be a consistent target, and Tommy Tremble, a former Fighting Irish teammate and current Panthers tight end, is a wonderful mentor for him to learn from.
Evans will have every chance to fit, but once more, there are no guarantees when it comes to fifth-round selections. The Panthers may have received a good deal.
