Chicago Bears 2017 draft position profiles: Safeties
Justin Evans, Texas A&M (6-foot-1, 200 pounds)
If you enjoy watching a big hit, then watch tapes of Justin Evans. He is one hitting machine. When he gets to you, he doesn’t just want to knock you down, he wants to go through your body. You can feel the crunch of his hits just watching his tape.
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Evans isn’t only a devastating hitter. He has great football instincts. He diagnoses the play quickly and gets to where he needs to be.
Evans’ athletic ability helped him perform well as a returner. He has good vision and fluid hips that allow him to change direction pretty easily.
Evans is good both against the run and the pass. He can race to the line of scrimmage and stop a third-and-two, and he can play centerfield and prevent a pass from getting completed.
In 2016, Evans had 85 tackles (52 solo), four interceptions, and 6 passes defended. His athletic ability and speed allowed Texas A&M to move him around. He played just off the line of scrimmage and played the last line of defense downfield.
Evans does need to clean up his technique. He sometimes goes for the big tackle and ends up missing. As we know from seeing Wright and Conte, in the big leagues those misses end up as long touchdown plays.
Evans looks to be a third or fourth-round prospect. If he works on his technique, he will be a good professional. In any case, his abilities on special teams (both returning kicks and covering them) will have him on teams’ radar.