Reflecting on the Lee Evans Era in Buffalo – Does He Count as Another Bills First-Round Bust?

So as you know, yesterday the Bills sent wide receiver Lee Evans to Baltimore for a future fourth-round draft pick. And thus ends the tenure of yet another recent first-round draft pick in Buffalo.

We all know the Bills have struggled just a bit in the draft in the past decade, especially in the early rounds. First-round pick after first-round pick has been a disaster, dramatically damaging any chance the Bills have had of getting back to the playoffs.

But now that Evans is done in Buffalo, does he count as one of these first-round failures? Just to be clear, there’s no way Evans was a “bust” anywhere near the level of Mike Williams or Erik Flowers or John McCargo or whatever. But it’s fair to examine if Evans was a poor first-round choice or not.

Points Against Evans:

 – In seven seasons as a Bill, Evans only topped 1,000 yards receiving twice.

– Evans averaged just over six touchdowns a season, never reaching double-digit touchdowns.

– In the past two seasons combined, Evans had only 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns.

– Evans had the #1 WR spot taken from him in Buffalo by former seventh-round pick Stevie Johnson.

– Evans had some big games, but often completely disappeared.

– Evans never made a Pro Bowl.

– The Bills appeared in exactly zero playoff games during Evans’s tenure in Buffalo.

Points for Evans:

– Let’s be real…Evans endured a terrible quarterback situation for pretty much his entire time in Buffalo. Kelly Holcomb, Trent Edwards, J.P. Losman – it’s gonna be tough to put up big stats with that group throwing to you.

– Evans did have some big years, with his best season coming in 2006 (1,292 yards, 8 TD).

– Evans never missed a game due to injury until last season.

– Evans was Buffalo’s only legitimate deep threat for most of his time in Buffalo, and was subject to constant double teams.

– The Bills were pretty freaking poorly coached while he was in Buffalo. You’d think a semi-competent offensive coordinator could figure out a few more ways to get Evans the ball.

The Verdict:

To me, Evans is always going to be one of those “What if?” cases. What if Evans had been drafted by a better team? What if the Bills had somehow acquired a decent quarterback? How good could have Evans been?

I’m going to say the Evans era wasn’t bad, but it was a bit disappointing. He is a good player, but not a star. And you need to draft some stars in the first round.

The sad thing? Evans might be Buffalo’s best first round pick since 2002. Here’s the list:

Obviously, the jury is still out on Spiller and Dareus. And Eric Wood is a very good player. Other than that? What a freaking mess.