Bucs’ Evans happy for the success of Beckham
Tampa, Fla. — Mike Evans wants no part of a debate about whether he or Odell Beckham, Jr., is the best young receiver in the NFL.
Both are in the discussion, and that's good enough for Tampa Bay's emerging star, who faces Beckham's New York Giants on today.
The fourth-year pros are among the most productive players since entering the league as part of a stellar group of rookie receivers selected in the 2014 draft with 553 catches for 7,975 yards and 65 touchdowns between them.
"I think we are both great players," the 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans said. "I'm a bit bigger. He's a bit faster.
"He's better after the catch. I'm a bigger guy — better at jump balls, probably," Evans added. "He plays with a lot of passion as well as I (do). I think we play with a lot of swag in different areas. He's more of a dancer, I'm more of a tough guy."
Since his debut in Week 5 of his rookie season, the speedy Beckham's 37 receiving touchdowns are the most in the NFL.
He got his 300th reception during last week's 27-24 loss to Philadelphia, reached in fewer games (45) than any player in league history.
Beckham and Evans rank fourth and fifth in the NFL in receiving yards since the start of last season with 1,482 and 1,481, respectively.
And the duo has been among the best at getting in the end zone, with Evans tied for second with 13 TD receptions and Beckham fifth at 12.
Still, Evans insists there's no personal rivalry, nor any added motivation GIANTS AT BUCCANEERS 4 p.m., Raymond James Stad. (no TV)
to try to outshine Beckham on Sunday.
The Buccaneers (1-1) are coming off their first loss of the season, while the Giants (0-3) are trying to avoid beginning with a four-game skid.
"I'm excited for this matchup because we lost last week and we get an opportunity to bounce back," Evans said.
"Odell is a great player. He is a friend of mine . ... I'm happy that I am a part of such an amazing draft class," Evans added. "I hope we can continue the success we've been having."
Heralded class: Evans was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft. Beckham was 12th. The rest of the class included receivers Jarvis Landry, Brandin Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin, Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, Jordan Matthews, Allen Hurns and John Brown, who've all had a major impact with their teams.
Got their number?: Eli Manning is 5-0 against the Bucs, including a 24-14 playoff victory in Tampa that began the 2007 Giants' Super Bowl run. He's thrown for seven TDs and has an 87.7 passer rating in his past three games against Tampa Bay. Rebounding from a 0-3 start to make the playoffs will be a challenge, however Manning said that's not New York's focus right now. "Our mindset is we have to get this win right here. Get our first win and go from there. ... We have a long football season left and anything is possible, but still the focus is on the next game no matter if we're 3-0 or 1-2 or whatever," he said.