Two Bills Drive

‘We’re very excited about Lee Evans. We think that he is going to bring a special dimension to our offense. We had a great visit with him at the Combine. We had a great visit a couple of weeks ago when he was here. We certainly think that he can come in and contribute and help us to get our offense back on track.’

‘Effective blocker who will block for the running game… Normal strider with above average balance and flexibility…Team-oriented player who takes well to hard coaching and normally can be found in the film room studying his next opponent.’

‘Knows how to put the ball on the receiver’s outside shoulder when throwing long, hitting his target in stride…Can slide and elude the pass rush and has the ability to throw on the move…Does a very good job with his timing on the mid-range throws, as the receiver rarely has to work back to the ball…Has the field vision and awareness to look off his primary target to find his second and third options…Competitive player who can handle hard coaching.’

‘Losman, 6’2″, 224 pounds, has quick feet, a quick release, and excellent arm strength. There are questions though about his arm strength, and attitude.’

‘The Cowboys dropped to the 43th overall pick by acquiring Buffalo’s second-round pick. Dallas also got a fifth-round pick this year and a No. 1 pick from Buffalo next year.’

”’We think he’s going to bring a special dimension to our offense. And we certainly think he can come in and contribute and help us get our offense back on track,” Bills president Tom Donahoe said. ”We felt he was a complete receiver. There’s a lot of guys that are fast that struggle catching the ball. But Lee is a fast guy who can catch.”’

‘But the right to select Losman came at a heavy price for the Bills, who sent three draft choices overall – a second- and fifth-round pick this year and a first-round pick in 2004 – to the Cowboys.’

Vic Carucci’s Analysis

This might be a little bit of a higher spot than conventional wisdom had Lee Evans being picked, but I do like the choice. Evans has been largely overshadowed by Fitzgerald and Williams, but he is a big-play target. The Bills might have had an eye on a quarterback of the future, without Rivers or Roethlisberger available, they went with someone who can help them immediately.

‘I think Lee Evans is going to be a tremendous pro player. With the new staff in Buffalo, and with an assist from Sam Wyche in making the playbook more wide open, the Bills will have Evans and a healthy Eric Moulds to try to resuscitate Drew Bledsoe’s flagging career. If Bledsoe can’t cut it, then Evans and Moulds will have a new thrower in 2005.’

‘Though he does not have prototypical size (the only top prospect shorter than six feet), Evans is a strong competitor with blazing speed and reliable hands. He accelerates quickly off the ball and after the catch. Dangerous over the middle, he runs crisp routes and does an excellent job of creating space. He makes tough plays in traffic and has the moves and explosiveness to evade defenders in the open field.’

‘”I’ve always had high expectations for myself, and I know a lot of people have high expectations for me,” Evans said. “There’s a lot that I’ve learned being in school actually for an extra two years. Just about sitting out for a while. You learn a little more about the game and, being injured, you learn a little bit more about yourself and things like that. So there’s plenty of things to learn. It’s just about how you approach it and attack it, basically.”‘

‘Evans abandoned the quick comeback after developing swelling in his knee that eventually required another surgery, and by taking the slow approach he enters this weekend’s draft as a likely first-round pick. Though he’ll probably go late in the round, that’s more a function of landing in an exceptional receiver class than anything else.’

‘”Out of the top six, eight receivers or so, I’m probably the only one under six feet,” he said. “I think in certain situations that will help me, because not all offenses are looking for a big, tall receiver. Some already have one and some are looking for a smaller-type receiver who can get deep and stretch the field vertically. It will play to my advantage in some cases.”‘

‘Before he tore up a knee in the spring of 2002, Evans was on his way to the head of the 2003 draft class. His rehabilitation appears complete.’

‘After spending more than a year rehabbing, Evans responded with a stellar senior season. Many pre-draft articles have questioned the status of Evans’ knee, but he is convinced that teams know he is healthy after thoroughly inspecting the knee at the NFL’s scouting combine in February.’