Vicious isn't often a word associated with a wide receiver, but that's how former Texas A&M star Mike Evans sees Chicago Bears star Brandon Marshall. And Marshall, in turn, is how Evans has seen himself since high school.
"I get a lot of Vincent Jackson comparisons, and that's a great comparison," Evans said of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout, according to timesonline.com. "But I think Brandon Marshall. He's vicious after the catch. A big, physical guy, can go up and get it, blocks real well. So I've modeled my game after him since high school."
The timing on that, in fact, would be just right. Evans' freshman year at Galveston (Texas) Ball High School would have coincided with Marshall's breakout season with the Denver Broncos in 2007, when he pulled in 102 catches for 1,325 yards as a second-year pro. At 6-4, 230 pounds, Marshall is certainly one of the few receivers in the NFL who compare to Evans (6-5, 231) in terms of size. As for production, Evans would do well to even approach Marshall's eight-year career, which includes seven 1,000-yard seasons and 57 touchdowns.
Evans is expected to be the second wide receiver chosen in next month's NFL draft, after Clemson's Sammy Watkins. The aforementioned Jackson, in fact, could end up being Evans' teammate if the Buccaneers make him the No. 7 overall pick, as NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks project in their mock drafts.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
