The second-rated wide receiver in this year’s draft class has certainly seen his stock rise rapidly over the spring, and apparently three frontrunners have emerged in the sweepstakes for Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans.
According to TFY Draft Insider, Evans is a lock to be a top-10 pick come May. While Evans has made the rounds visiting a plethora of interested clubs, the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens have surfaced as the favorites to land the highly coveted prospect. Tony Pauline had this to say about what he’s hearing:
Based on conversations its my educated “guess” the team who selects Evans will make a trade to acquire his services . Right now it looks like three teams are the frontrunners to make some sort of move for Evans. If the St Louis Rams trade out of the second spot, and they will make every effort to do as much, Evans would be a target assuming they stay in the top ten. Two teams selecting in the middle of the first frame who are very high on Evans and would consider trading up to grab him are the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.
Evans is currently penciled to come off the board seventh to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the XN Sports Mock Draft 2.0.
The Eagles, though, may have a backup plan in place.
Per TFY Insider, Oregon State wideout Brandin Cooks may be the pick at No. 22. The team also has its eye on USC’s Marqise Lee, but he is more likely to come off the board prior to when the Eagles are on the clock. Philadelphia is mocked to select edge rusher Dee Ford, according to XN Sports, with Lee falling to the New York Jets at No. 18, while Cooks could be an option for a receiver-needy team toward the end of Round 1 or early in Round 2.
The Atlanta Falcons will privately work out Texas A&M Jake Matthews, according to ESPN. Matthews, at one point, was considered the top offensive tackle and arguably the most sure thing in the draft. The Falcons are set to host UCLA edge rusher Anthony Barr that same week.
Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews is scheduled to visit the Falcons the week of April 21, too
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) April 11, 2014
Since the NFL Scouting Combine, Auburn’s Greg Robinson has taken the reigns from Matthews in terms of being the top tackle in the class. Picking sixth, the Falcons have been linked to a number of players, from Khalil Mack to Barr, Matthews to even Jadeveon Clowney. The XN Sports Mock Draft 2.0 projects Atlanta to nab Mack with the pick.
