4 advantages that Mike Evans has over Michael Thomas
By Rob Leeds
Mike Evans is exponentially more effective than Michael Thomas.
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Thomas has some of the best hands in the NFL, that much is not disputed. Thomas’ career 78.1% catch rate is more than 20% higher than Evans’ career average.
While Thomas is excellent at catching the ball, Mike Evans does way more with his chances than his counterpart from New Orleans. When looking at career numbers, Evans averages 15.7 yards per reception while Thomas only averages 11.7 yards per reception.
Statistically speaking, if someone were to give Evans the same number of targets as Michael Thomas, he would catch fewer passes but post far more receiving yards.
2018 is a great year to examine to see the full extent of this comparison, as it was the last season where both players were able to play in all 16 games. In that year, Thomas had 125 receptions for 1,405 receiving yards. On the other hand, Evans had 86 receptions for 1,524 receiving yards.
Evans had 39 fewer receptions, but still posted 119 more yards than Thomas on the season. Catching the football is a vital skill for a receiver, but the yards that accompany the catch are far more critical, giving Evans a steep advantage.