NFL Draft 2017: Buccaneers Select Justin Evans in Round Two

Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M Aggies strong safety Justin Evans speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M Aggies strong safety Justin Evans speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Buccaneers have selected Justin Evans with their second round pick of the 2017 NFL draft.

The NFL draft roles on from Philadelphia and the Buccaneers have made their second round pick. Last night, the pick was O.J. Howard. Tonight, Jason Licht decided to go and select the defensive side of the football. The selection was Justin Evans, safety out of Texas A & M.

Here are his stats for anyone not familiar with him:

TacklesDef IntFumbles
YearSchoolConfClassPosGSoloAstTotLossSkIntYdsAvgTDPDFRYdsTDFF
*2015Texas A&MSECJRDB124731781.00.0100.00300
2016Texas A&MSECSRDB135235875.00.0400.00800
CareerTexas A&M99661656.00.0500.001100

More from Bucs Draft

This pick will come as a surprise to many Bucs fans. Alvin Kimara was still on the board at the time of the selection, and most of us were expecting them to take a look at the running back situation here. Interestingly enough, many of the guys the Bucs were interested in went off the board early in the round, such as Dalvin Cook and Marcus Maye.

Evans will continue the rebuild of the Bucs secondary. They started last year by adding Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves, but they still weren’t to the level of a top-flight defense. Too often they could be beaten through the air, and especially at safety, the play was suspect. They added J.J. Wilcox this offseason from the Cowboys, and now the selection of Evans adds to this depth chart.

Evans was always around the football, and noted as a sound tackler as well. He can also make a play on the ball and has excellent range as a deep safety. He can help out on the back-end and help deep in cover 2 type of scenarios.

Next: How Howard Changes the Offense

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