Wadsworth’s graduate Mitchell Evans is taking on the NFL draft after playing in the National Football Championship for college.
Evans took place in The NFL Combine, which allows invited prospects to go through a series of drills and workouts, as well as interviews and meetings with scouts, coaches, and owners of NFL franchises. There are four steps to the combine: medicals, team interviews, media and on-field performances.
Evans has had help training for everything at the combine from NFL veteran Jordan Matthews, who has played for three NFL franchises and is currently a Carolina Panther.
Evans has been interviewed by all 32 NFL football teams, with a combination of both formal and informal interviews. Evans is currently ranked 162 among College Football players.
“A formal interview is where teams will pick people, and you have to be selected for it, so I had two of those; I had them with the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers,” Evans said.
Evans is working with Agent Jack Bechta, the president and founder of JBL Sports Inc.“What impressed me most about working with Mitchell is his professionalism,” Bechta said. “When you ask him to do something, he gets it done right away. He doesn’t waste time. He takes care of business. He’s got the makings of a professional, whether it would be a football player, a CEO or an executive. He has a very professional approach to the business of football.”
Bechta has worked with several NFL tight ends, such as George Kittle with the San Francisco 49ers, Tucker Kraft with the Green Bay Packers and Sam Laporta with the Detroit Lions.
“I have a very long history of working with some of the NFL’s best tight ends,” Bechta said. “And this class of tight ends we’re representing this year, we foresee them being special as well.”
For the media, Bechta and his team attempt to make them genuine during the interview process.
“We don’t really prep our clients that much because we want them to be themselves,” Bechta said. “We don’t want them to be on-script; NFL people would see right through that. But we do educate them on being comfortable, being themselves, and encouraging them to sell themselves. And I feel Mitchell has done an incredible job in doing that. He’s a fun, memorable interview because he’s loose, and he’s engaging and he’s personable, so that really helped him through the interview processes.”
Participating with the other tight-end prospects, Evans engaged in several workouts and drills at the combine. Standing at 6’5, 258 pounds, he ran a 4.74-second 40-yard dash. He also participated in the gauntlet, catching footballs and running routes. At the Notre Dame Pro Day, an event where all of the draft-eligible players for Notre Dame go through events similar to the NFL Combine, he ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash and put up 17 bench press reps of 225 pounds.
Starting in Wadsworth, he was a captain for the football team during his senior year. He left a big impression as the 22nd-best tight end coming out of high school in Ohio, even graduating early to begin practices with the Notre Dame football team.
Evans credits his time at Wadsworth for helping him get to where he is today.
“I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for me being a grizzly,” Evans said. “I’m very thankful for my opportunities at Wadsworth and how Wadsworth shaped me to be where I am today.”
Evans is excited to get drafted and have the opportunity to win a Superbowl ring in the NFL. He played in the National Championship against the Ohio State Buckeyes this year, losing 23-35.
“I know what it is like to lose a big game that you work so hard to get, and it is making me more eager and more hungry to win that next one at the next level,” Evans said.
Evans is excited about what he can bring to an NFL team in the 2025 season.
“This is the greatest team sport on planet earth,” Evans said.
The draft will take place April 22 through April 24 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Evans will watch the draft at an Airbnb in Cleveland with his family and friends.
