Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Nate Evans

One of college football's most prolific tacklers at UCF, the second-year linebacker hopes to make waves in Seattle after spending his rookie season on Jacksonville's practice squad and provide depth behind mainstays Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 10, 2021 7:30 PM EDT

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs in full swing across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Nate Evans, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 241 pounds

2020 Stats: N/A

Recruited out of Waggaman, Louisiana, Evans played four years at UCF and emerged as one of the nation's top tacklers. As a senior in 2019, he recorded a whopping 112 combined tackles - 13 of which came for a loss - with a sack on his way to earning Second-Team All-AAC honors. In the season prior, he had 99 tackles and returned a fumble 94 yards for a touchdown while garnering First-Team All-AAC recognition. Despite amassing over 200 tackles in his final two collegiate seasons, however, he wasn't drafted and signed with the Jaguars as a priority free agent. He was cut at the conclusion of training camp and re-signed to the team's practice squad, where he remained for the remainder of the season without seeing any regular season action. The Seahawks claimed him off waivers in May and he will now compete against Ben Burr-Kirven, Jon Rhattigan, and Aaron Donkor for a potential backup linebacker role.

Best Case Scenario: Showcasing his speed, instincts, and tackling prowess during the preseason on defense and special teams for the Seahawks, Evans quickly becomes a favorite of defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and his performance earns him a spot on the 53-man roster in Week 1.

Worst Case Scenario: Unable to improve working off blocks in the run game and struggling to make an impact on kick and punt coverage, Evans gets out-played by Rhattigan and/or Donkor and Seattle releases him after the second preseason game without plans to bring him back on the practice squad.

What to Expect in 2021: For a modern NFL linebacker, Evans isn't undersized at north of 240 pounds and he checks off several boxes the Seahawks look for at the position. He's a relentless effort player who can track down ball carriers sideline-to-sideline, has enough athleticism to be serviceable in coverage, and excels as a tackler in traffic as well as open field. For him to crack Seattle's roster, he will have to stand out on special teams and he will have to show notable improvements with his past issues getting engulfed by blockers in the run game. If he's able to accomplish both of those goals and capitalize on his opportunities in August, assuming K.J. Wright isn't brought back at some point, it's not out of the question he could make the team given depth concerns at linebacker.