Justin Evans (American football)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S.
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-08-26) August 26, 1995 (age 30) Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 199 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Stone (Wiggins, Mississippi) | ||||||||||||
| College | Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (2013–2014) Texas A&M (2015–2016) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2017: 2nd round, 50th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Justin Evans (born August 26, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi Gulf Coast before transferring to the Texas A&M Aggies.
Pre-draft
Evans received an invitation to the Senior Bowl and was able to impress scouts during practice. He was unable to participate during the actual game due to injury.[1][2] He attended the NFL Combine and only completed the bench press due to a quad injury.[3] Evans also participated at Texas A&M's Pro Day and completed the majority of combine drills he was unable to finish at the combine. He opted to not run the short shuttle and three-cone drill.[4] The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected Evans to be a second or third round pick.[5] He was ranked the sixth best strong safety by DraftScout.com, the tenth best safety by Sports Illustrated, and was ranked the ninth best safety in the draft by ESPN.[6][7]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 4+5⁄8 in (1.95 m) | 4.60 s | 1.57 s | 2.67 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | 14 reps | 25 | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Texas A&M's Pro Day[5][4][8][9] | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Buccaneers draft Justin Evans 50th overall | |
| 2017 NFL Draft Profile: Justin Evans |
2017
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Evans in the second round (50th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[10] Evans was the seventh safety drafted in 2017.[11] On May 25, 2017, Evans signed a four-year, $5.19 million contract with the team.[12]
Throughout training camp, Evans competed to be a starting safety against J. J. Wilcox, Chris Conte, and Keith Tandy.[13]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Evans dives in the end zone for an interception | |
| Justin Evans picks off Brett Hundley on a deep pass |
He made his professional regular season debut in the Buccaneers against the Chicago Bears and made one solo tackle during a 29–7 victory. On October 5, 2017, Evans earned his first career start after Keith Tandy sustained a hip injury.[14] Evans collected a season-high nine combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception during a 19–14 loss against the New England Patriots in Week 5 on Monday Night Football.[15] He intercepted a pass by Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, that was initially intended for wide receiver Chris Hogan, and returned it for a two-yard gain on the first drive of the game.[16] In Week 15, Evans recorded six combined tackles and sustained an ankle injury during a 24–21 loss against the Atlanta Falcons.[17] On December 20, 2017, the Buccaneers placed Evans on injured reserve due to an ankle injury.[18] Evans finished his rookie season in 2017 with 66 combined tackles (50 solo), six pass deflections, and three interceptions in 14 games and 11 starts.[19]
2018–2020
Evans entered training camp slated as a starting safety, but saw competition from Chris Conte, Keith Tandy, and Jordan Whitehead.[20] Head coach Dirk Koetter named Evans and Chris Conte the starting safeties to begin the regular season in 2018.[21]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Justin Evans scoops up Gillislee's fumble for a TD | |
| Evans jumps onfeon of JuJu for INT on Big Ben |
He started in the Buccaneers' season-opener at the New Orleans Saints and made five combined tackles and returned a fumble recovery for a 34-yard touchdown during a 48–40 victory.[22] Evans recovered a fumble and returned it for a 34-yard touchdown during the second quarter after teammate Vernon Hargreaves forced the fumble by Saints' running back Mike Gillislee.[23] On September 24, 2018, Evans made six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 30–27 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Evans sustained a toe injury in Week 10 and missed the next two games (Weeks 11–12).[24] In Week 10, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 16–3 loss against the Washington Redskins.[25] On December 2, 2018, Evans recorded two solo tackles during a 24–17 win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 13, but was carted off the field in the second quarter after aggravating his toe injury.[26] He missed the next two games (Weeks 14–15) before he was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018.[27] He finished the 2018 NFL season with 59 combined tackles (43 solo), two pass deflections, one interception, a fumble recovery, and one touchdown.[19] He received an overall grade of 67.7 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked as the 52nd best grade among all qualified safeties in 2018.[28]
On September 10, 2019, Evans was placed on injured reserve with an Achilles injury.[29] He was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp on July 28, 2020.[30] Evans was moved to the reserve/PUP list at the start of the regular season on September 5.[31] On December 22, Evans was waived by the Buccaneers with a "failed physical" designation.[32]
New Orleans Saints
On April 4, 2022, after missing the 2021 season, Evans signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.[33]
Philadelphia Eagles
On March 20, 2023, Evans signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.[34] He was named the Eagles starting safety to begin the season. He was placed on injured reserve on October 13, with a knee injury.[35]
References
- ↑ Joe Buscaglia (January 26, 2017). "Joe B: 5 observations from the Senior Bowl Day 3". wkbw.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ Creg Stepenson (January 27, 2017). "Prattville native among 5 players added to Senior Bowl roster". al.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Rotoworld.com: Justin Evans". rotoworld.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- 1 2 "Justin Evans, DS #6 SS, Texas A&M". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- 1 2 "Justin Evans Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ Chris Burke (April 25, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top Prospects by Position". si.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ Jeff Legwold (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the 2017 Draft's Top 100 Prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Justin Evans NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Draft Tracker 2017". NFL.com. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ↑ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ↑ "Buccaneers Draft Justin Evans in Round 2". Buccaneers.com. April 28, 2017. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ↑ "Sportrac.com: Justin Evans contract". Sportrac.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Bucs' Brett Maxie discusses Justin Evans and competition at safety". bucswire.usatoday.com. May 22, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ↑ "Buccaneers' Keith Tandy: Exits game with hip injury". cbssports.com. October 1, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ "WATCH: Bucs rookie Justin Evans hands Tom Brady his 1st INT of 2017". Bucs Wire. October 6, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ↑ "New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - October 5th, 2017". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ "Buccaneers' Justin Evans: Placed on IR". cbssports.com. December 20, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Smith, Scott (December 20, 2017). "Standout Rookies Among Five Bucs Headed to IR". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017.
- 1 2 "NFL Player stats: Justin Evans (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ "Safety position among Bucs' biggest position battles right now". bucswire.usatoday.com. May 10, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ "Bucs release the first depth chart of the preseason". bucsnation.com. August 6, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Berrian, Josh. "Stone, MGCCC product Justin Evans shows out in the Superdome". WLOX. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints - September 9th, 2018". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ "Buccaneers-Giants Injury Report Nov. 16: Lavonte David, Vinny Curry, Justin Evans Ruled Out for Sunday's Game in New York". Buccaneers.com. November 16, 2018. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ "NFL Player stats: Justin Evans (2018)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Easterling, Luke (December 2, 2018). "Bucs S Justin Evans (foot) won't return vs. Panthers". Bucs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ Smith, Scott (December 18, 2018). "Justin Evans, Alan Cross Land on I.R." Buccaneers.com.
- ↑ "Pro Football Focus: Justin Evans". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Smith, Scott (September 10, 2019). "Justin Evans Lands on IR Amid Round of Roster Moves". Buccaneers.com.
- ↑ Smith, Scott (July 28, 2020). "Bucs Update Status of Justin Evans, Kendell Beckwith". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ↑ Smith, Scott (September 5, 2020). "Matt Gay, A.Q. Shipley Among Cuts to Get to 53". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ↑ Staff, RotoWire (December 22, 2020). "Justin Evans: Cut by Bucs". Cbssports. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ↑ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with defensive end Taco Charlton and defensive back Justin Evans". NewOrleansSaints.com. April 4, 2022.
- ↑ Alper, Josh (March 20, 2023). "Justin Evans agrees to sign with Eagles". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Eagles sign Bradley Roby to the active roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. October 13, 2023.