Reinhold Matay/Associated PressTampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans has been dealing with a hamstring injury that ended his preseason after Week 2 and didn't allow him to play in Week 1 of the regular season. Thankfully for the Buccaneers, he is active for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints after initially being listed as questionable.
Pat Yasinskas of ESPN reported Friday that Evans participated in practice.
On Thursday, Evans told reporters his hamstring was "100 percent," and he hoped the team would let him play Sunday, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
On Sept. 11, Auman shared video of Evans going through drills:
Greg Auman @gregaumanEverything's a jog on Fridays, but Bucs WR Mike Evans going through receiver drills as he tests hamstring for Sunday. http://t.co/3U2aiBW19s
Tampa Bay made Evans the No. 7 overall selection in the 2014 draft due largely to his 6'5", 231-pound frame and leaping ability. He didn't disappoint during his debut campaign, as he made 68 catches for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns despite the Buccaneers' revolving door at quarterback.
Although Evans missed one game due to injury, the rigors of the NFL season didn't seem to get to him. In fact, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht felt he transitioned incredibly well despite his lack of experience in the sport of football as a whole, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today:
"He played like he had a natural instinct of a guy that's been playing his whole life, so you know it's going to get even better," Licht said.
According to Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated, Jameis Winston has a rare type of athlete at his disposal in Evans:
Andy Benoit @Andy_Benoit#Bucs Notes: No player in league has more bizarre combination of lankiness and body control than Mike Evans. Freakish.
Winston excelled during his time at Florida State, especially as a freshman, when he was able to throw jump balls to current Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Evans is a more athletic version of Benjamin, while wideout Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins are big, talented pass-catchers in their own rights.
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