In his latest mock draft, NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans with the 15th overall selection in the first-round of the 2014 NFL Draft. On Wednesday, Davis was a guest on 93.7 The Fan and was asked if Evans could be a Plaxico Burress type of wide receiver in Pittsburgh.
“Although he’s not as thick as Plax, he’s willowy like that,” Davis said. “He’s a longer version of him. And I talked to someone close to his camp just the other day, because my concern about Mike Evans is what does he actually run? Because those long-strider guys, sometimes you get mesmerized by them, and you think, God, maybe they’re either going faster than you thought, or sometimes you think they’re not as fast as I thought. I’ve been told- and we will see at the combine – that he could run a high 4.4 time. And if that’s the case, then game, set, match, off he goes.”
Davis also thinks there’s a possibility the Steelers might even condsider Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin with the 15th overall pick as well.
“I wonder if Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State – 6’4″/6’5″, 230 [pounds] – fits into what they’re looking for, or is that too rich for their blood at the pick that the Steelers have?” Davis said. “Evans, I think, fits perfectly, but there will be competition to get him before that. Could a Kelvin Benjamin come into play? I think Allen Robinson, that’s too high for him, out of Penn State, even though I really like him a bunch. But there’s a lot of big-bodied receivers coming out in this draft, its just a matter of where you want to spend it.”
Last week, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Steelers have already indicated to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger their intentions of drafting him a “tall” wide receiver in the first few rounds of the draft. Whether those intentions will be fulfilled or not will be discussed between now and the May draft. In the meantime, all eyes will be on both Evans and Benjamin at the scouting combine this week to see if either can firmly cement themselves as players worthy of a top 15 selection.
