Josh Evans: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Florida FS

Matt Elam is a heralded safety coming out of Florida. The incoming rookie could crack the first round on draft day, but there is another safety who could have a big impact.

Elam's running mate, Josh Evans, entered the NFL draft as well. He is not nearly as violent as Elam, but he could be more well-rounded.

Where will he go? While you wait, here are five things you should know about him.

Combine results courtesy of NFL.com. College stats courtesy of sports-reference.com.

Background

Full Name: Josh Evans

Hometown: Irvington, New Jersey

School: Florida

Major: Criminology

Year: Senior

Twitter: @JAY_E_9 (unverified)

Evans made his way to Florida down the I-95 corridor from New Jersey.

Collegiate Stats

Overshadowed by teammate Matt Elam, Josh Evans had a pretty decent career himself.

He did not become a starter until his junior year. Evans' statistics improved steadily each season, capping off a solid career with three interceptions and two-and-a-half sacks.

Defense

	Tackles				Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Solo	Ast	Loss	Sk	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds
2009	4	2	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0
2010	10	4	0	0	1	36	36	0	0	0	0
2011	38	13	2.5	1	1	0	0	0	2	1	13
2012	49	34	4.5	2.5	3	11	3.7	0	6	0	0
Career	101	53	7	3.5	5	47	9.4	0	8	1	13

Draft Process

Measurables

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 207 lbs.

Arm Length: 31 7/8"

Hand Size: 10"

Combine Results

40-yard dash: 4.58 seconds

Vertical jump: 34.5 inches

Broad jump: 123.0 inches

3-cone drill: 6.64 seconds (top performer)

20-yard shuttle: 4.10 seconds (top performer)

Josh Evans showcased his athleticism at the NFL combine. The former Gator was in the middle of the pack in most events, but he was a top performer in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuffle.

Evans improved on his 40-yard dash at his pro day, running around 4.5 seconds. He also leapt higher, reaching 36 inches on the vertical jump.

Overcoming Tragedy

More so than most other players, Josh Evans has had to deal with tragedy to get to this point (via Len Robbins of the NY Post): 

"

Those words saved Josh Evans the morning of May 11, 2005, when his mother died and he was the only one at home with her in Irvington, N.J. He was just a scared boy coming face to face with death. Those words were like a warm blanket, one that Evans pulled around him and used to help to hide the pain. He couldn’t publicly talk about her death, couldn’t go to that terrifying closet in his psyche where the memories of that morning stirred.

“This would be the first time I talked about this in an interview,’’ Evans told The Post in strong voice. “When my mother passed, it took a toll on me being the baby boy in the family.

“I was actually there. My mother had been dealing with cancer for a couple of years, and I had no clue, I didn’t know she had cancer because I was young, my parents didn’t want the baby boy to know that she was sick to that magnitude."

"

Evans would even have a brush with devastating Superstorm Sandy, which damaged his family home in New Jersey.

It has been quite the ride for Evans, who hopes to surprise in the NFL.

Observations

Matt Elam gets all the attention out of Florida, including on Twitter. But here are some thoughts from the Twitterverse about Josh Evans:

"

New at CheeseheadTV: Florida’s Josh Evans on the Radar of the Packers dlvr.it/3Gn0KH #Packers

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) April 23, 2013"

"

Earl Wolff and Josh Evans getting some love, @ecstoner

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 15, 2013"

"

Also, Josh Evans seemed to make a pretty significant jump from his junior to senior season. Big time improvement all around.

"

"— Brendan Leister (@BrendanLeister) April 13, 2013"

"

Some list OT David Bakhtiari, TE Vance McDonald & OLB Sio Moore as most under-rated in Draft? Me? It's UF FS Josh Evans. RD:2 #Missile.

— BHugh (@BHugh215) April 22, 2013"

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