Reflecting on the Lee Evans Era in Buffalo – Does He Count as Another Bills First-Round Bust?
By Brad Andrews
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:
2002 | Mike Williams | Texas | Tackle |
2003 | Willis McGahee | Miami (FL) | Running Back |
2004 | Lee Evans | Wisconsin | Wide Receiver |
2004 | J.P. Losman | Tulane | Quarterback |
2005 | No 1st Round Pick, Roscoe Parrish (2nd Round) | Miami (FL) | Wide Receiver |
2006 | Donte Whitner | Ohio State | Safety |
2006 | John McCargo | North Carolina State | Defensive Tackle |
2007 | Marshawn Lynch | California | Running Back |
2008 | Leodis McKelvin | Troy | Defensive Back |
2009 | Aaron Maybin | Penn State | Defensive End/Outside Linebacker |
2009 | Eric Wood | Louisville | Center |
2010 | C.J. Spiller | Clemson | Running Back |
2011 | Marcell Dareus | Alabama | Defensive Tackle |
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.