NFL Draft: Interview with Missouri Defensive Back Akayleb Evans
There might be tough competition on the opposite side of the ball in this year’s NFL Draft, but for one particular University of Missouri defensive back, he’s just happy to be there.
Akayleb Evans might be a late-round name, but his infectious energy and athleticism is something teams NFL should take note of.
The McKinney, Tex., native started playing football at a young age. He found love for the game and eventually played throughout high school and college, earning numerous accolades along the way.
Evans’ resume' is signed, sealed and ready for the NFL Draft, proving to be a great back for any team looking to rebuild defensively this offseason.
Evans started playing football in the fourth grade in McKinney. He played for the Peewee league Broncos.
“I remember it like it was yesterday, I used to play running back,” Evans said.
He went on to high school and played receiver and safety. In his freshman year, he played receiver, then switched over to defense as a junior after his mom encouraged him to make the decision. The transition came as a blessing.
“I really still loved the game, but I felt like I was a little lost,” Evans said about finding his way by switching to defense. He ended up getting five offers after that season and maintained that level through his senior year.
Evans went to the University of Tulsa because it was “close to home but not too close.”
“I went there, I loved the atmosphere with the coaching staff, being with my teammates, all that was cool,” Evans said.
He then went to the University of Missouri for his last season.
“I feel like I was able to learn a lot [at Missouri], just from being around guys that were already coaching in the NFL before, being able to pick their brain,” Evans said.
Outside of preparing physically, Evans also talked about how much he had to mentally prepare for what comes along with being in the NFL.
He phrased the NFL as being “a kid’s game for a king’s ransom.”
Now that the stakes are higher than at a younger level, Evans considered all of these aspects of the job.
“Putting all of that into perspective is a big component for me in my maturity and growth during this process,” Evans said.
With the level of professionalism and energy in this year’s NFL Draft, Evans knows he can bring a lot to the field, especially after a handful of teams struggled to fix their defensive issues last season.
“At my position, I feel like physicality is something that I lean on heavily,” Evans said. “You don’t see a lot of corners that; they might cover physically, but they don’t tackle physically, they’re not willing to tackle but I am.”
Regardless, younger players are having breakout seasons in the NFL. Evans is just as excited to make an impact no matter how big or small.
“It’s good to see that everybody has a fair shot. Not shot down for being too young.” Evans said.
Evans had a coach at Tulsa tell him, “It doesn’t matter how young you are, leadership does not have an age.” This is something Evans always kept with him. He knows that if you do what you need to do, you’re going to be on the field. Those thoughts give him hope and motivation for next season.
During his athletic career, Evans reflected how COVID took a huge toll on not only him, but also the team. For Evans, he was coming back from an injury the year prior, so he would have been participating in spring ball at Tulsa. When he was finally ready to play, by the third practice, he and his team got an alert saying that things would be shutting down.
Evans knew he had to get creative in order to stay in shape. He made it work with the mini-gym his apartment had. When he was able to return, there were a lot of restrictions.
“That was definitely a struggle within itself, but you just have to be prepared for everything,” Evans said.
Something that helped him a lot was seeing things from a positive perspective. Since you never really know what can happen, you can always find a way around a problem. This is something Evans had to learn through the course of the pandemic.
Evans and his family have been waiting for the draft opportunity for a long time.
“They're excited for me, they’re excited because they know this is a lifelong dream for me,” Evans said. “In terms of what we're gonna do, we like to go bowling. We’re talking about renting out a space just to go bowling and enjoy each other's company. Whenever that phone call comes, I’ll be ready. I might be mid-roll, but we’ll see what happens and how it plays out.”
It would definitely be a unique experience for Evans to both receive the call and get a strike in bowling, but he is surely ready to see whatever happens.
When faced with adversity, Evans has surely stepped up to the plate. His most important advice for younger athletes is the importance of having a plan.
“I’ve seen a lot of people with a lot of talent growing up, but they just waiver from what it is they set out to do,” Evans said. “Sometimes it's for good reason. A lot of people just give up because they’re not seeing the progress they want.”
Evans is looking forward to receiving that call (and a possible strike) when the NFL Draft starts next week.
