49ers Now: Analyzing Mike Evans' early impact on receivers during training camp
On "49ers Now," Bonta Hill, Rod Brooks and Jennifer Lee Chan assess Mike Evans' early impact on San Francisco's wide receiver room in training camp.
49ers Now: Analyzing Mike Evans' early impact on receivers during training camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
And then we get to the Hall of Famer, Mike Evans, and I was talking about Mayock.
I said, "When was the last time the Niners had a guy who could just high point a football and go get it up in the air?"
And Matt Mayock joked and said, "RC Owens?"
I was thinking more like TO, Terrell Owens.
But seriously, Brock Purdy looked for him, and it's on the Instagram.
JLC was showing us right before the show.
I, I mean, he just went up over Upton Stout, and I get it.
He's got the height advantage, but it was easy for him.
If Brock is looking like, "Wait a minute, I could just put some air on it, throw it up in his vicinity, and he's gonna go get it", he just runs like a Hall of Famer.
Again, not a ball touched the turf today when they threw it to Mike Evans, Rob.
Yeah, no, I mean, Mike Evans is different.
You could just You, you can see, all right?
Whether we're, you know, talking in pads, whether we're talking out of pads, you know, I, I know it's kind of a almost a made-up thing, but he's got that aura, and you can tell.
And you can tell the way that other players, other guys who get paid to play football, other guys who get paid to run into somebody else or get run into, you can see how they gravitate towards Mike Evans, and how they comport themselves around Mike Evans.
And I think Mike Evans, the, the person and the football player, you know, he understands who he is, and it really seems like he's giving of his football knowledge and, and all the things that come along with that.
But on that play, you know, where unfortunately Upton Stout, who, who went out on, on Mike Evans all the way out there at the X, Brock Purdy knew that immediately.
And I'm I, I would love to hear from Brock Purdy how he's like, "Oh, so this is what it's like when you got a real X, when you got a big dude who you basically cannot overthrow."
And it was interesting having a chance to, to ask Mike Evans the question, you know, about that.
And he was basically like, "If you just get it up there, I'm going to get it."
It's like having Inspector Gadget out there at the X receiver.
And you know, I, I think Matt's, Matt's right.
The Niners haven't had a guy that you could do that with, where you could throw it up there and get it.
The inventor of the alley-oop, Mr. RC Owens, may he rest in peace.
There is something crazy about when you see Mike Evans in person, right?
I mean, we've seen him- Yeah on TV, we've seen him on the opposing sidelines, but when he is actually in front of you, and I think it is even more remarkable without pads on, how long his limbs are.
So when he goes across and he reaches up into the air, I mean, from right fingertip to left toe, I feel like it's a half a mile.
He- can just jump up and grab whatever.
And like, you know, the ball doesn't have to be It doesn't even look like it's going to him half the time, and he can just reach up and pull it down, and he's got incredible hands, but the length is really something else.
And when you see it in person, especially when we're standing on the sidelines at practice like that, I, I knew he was tall, but when I saw him in person, I was like, "Oh, okay.
I get it now."
But, but here, here's what's interesting is that if the default red zone play is to throw it up to Mike Evans and let him use his natural ability and his ridiculously long arms to go and get the ball, if that's your default play and you could start from there, think about what else the Niners can do.
And that's where, again, God, it, it stinks that you might not have Ricky Pearsall, because n- in this situation, Ricky Pearsall now becomes a threat in the red zone.
George Kittle, when he comes back, I believe he was the Niners best red zone target in terms of touchdowns last year.
So now you got, you know, you got George Kittle out there.
What are you gonna get with Stribling?
What are you gonna get with Kirk when he comes back?
What are you gonna get with Deebo in the red zone?
And oh yeah, by the way, Christian McCaffrey.
So now the Niners went from last year where they didn't have many red zone options, to now you have the red zone option with Mike Evans and other guys around him to play off that.
Because you know teams are going to What are the What's the one thing they're gonna key on in the red zone?
Mike Evans.
They're gonna have at least- Yeah one bigger guy on him, and probably an extra set of eyes to help out, because he is that dude.
Now, the Go Go Gadget arms and the gravity of Mike Evans opens up for everybody, as you mentioned, Rod.
Christian McCaffrey, one-on-one with the linebacker.
Defense coordinators are, are throwing a clipboard and saying, "No, no, we can't have this.
We can't have it."
So no, Mike Evans is gonna help here-
