After a year of struggling to find consistency in their receiving corps, the San Francisco 49ers added a bona fide star this offseason with the signing of veteran wide receiver Mike Evans. His highlight-reel grab in Friday’s practice underscored his importance to the team.
While there’s some injury concern after the 32-year-old missed nine games a season ago, his calling card in his career has been consistency. He posted at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons, and never had fewer than 67 catches in that stretch.
Having a steady presence in the receiving corps is a crucial component to the Evans addition, but he reminded everyone what else he brings during Friday’s practice. In a matchup against second-year cornerback Upton Stout, Evans climbed the ladder to pull a throw down with one hand as he toppled to the turf.
The 49ers posted a highlight of the catch on Twitter:
This is a great example of the threat Evans poses. Whether it’s a crucial third down, in the red zone or both, there aren’t a lot of throws that are going to be outside Evans’ catch radius. On this play it looks like the 49ers are doing some red zone work and Evans got open working against Stout while running to the front pylon. It’s a play we can expect to see a ton when the 49ers are near the goal line.
Evans doesn’t bring the high-end speed or explosiveness that we typically connect to the NFL’s best receivers. What he does bring is the ability to win contested catches and take advantage of matchups while giving quarterback Brock Purdy a massive window to throw to.
It’s likely this won’t be the last highlight reel catch we see from Evans in a 49ers uniform.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Mike Evans highlight catch from 49ers’ 1st padded practice is must-see
Reporting by Kyle Madson, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
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By Kyle Madson, Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
