Justin Evans

[Twopointtry]

Sizzling Bacon

When Matthew Stafford entered the NFL in 2009, his starting center in Detroit was an undersized veteran from Nebraska named Dominic Raiola, a 2nd round pick in 2001. In the middle of Stafford's miserable rookie season, he played particularly poorly in a home loss to the Rams and the Detroit fans were giving it to him late in the game. Raiola angrily responded by yelling obscenities back at them. After the loss to the Rams, Stafford was 1-6 as a starting QB. The 2 players became so close that Stafford is the godfather to Raiola's son, Dylan Raiola, who was considered to be the top QB prospect in the country in the 2024 recruiting class.

Dylan Raiola was Nebraska's starting QB in 2025. His starting center is an undersized player, Justin Evans. Kevin Bacon was once jokingly mentioned as possibly being a teammate with Evans in an Avengers movie. No, wait, that's not right, I'm thinking of Chris Evans. The OL coach for Nebraska in 2025 was Donovan Raiola, Dominic's younger brother. Donovan is a former center who was a 2006 UDFA signed by the St. Louis Rams.

Could Justin Evans end up snapping the ball to Matthew Stafford in Week 1 of the 2027 NFL season, playing for the Rams? If so, it would be an odd circle of life moment.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, Age: Justin Evans, 5th year redshirt senior, Nebraska, 23 years old in April of 2027.

Size, estimated speed: Listed 6'2'' tall, 315 pounds. Draftbuzz 5.15 second 40. Draftscout 5.24 (40 time). [At the Combine, Dominic Raiola was 6'2'' tall, 307 pounds, with a 5.13 second 40.]

2 and 3 star recruit from NJ. Played both OL and DL in HS. Initially was recruited by schools for DL. As a SR, Evans piled up 14.5 sacks and 20.5 TFLs, becoming one of the top defensive players in NJ. He led his team to a state title, the first time in over a century that the school had even won a sectional title. Evans was also an excellent wrestler, a state finalist in the heavyweight division. He was listed at 285 pounds and was listed at 270 pounds the prior season. Evans graduated early from HS, the first football player ever to do so from his HS. Nebraska recruited him as a center but discussed allowing him to play DL, so it wasn't entirely clear which side of the ball he'd ultimately be playing in college.

Redshirted in 2022. Was listed at 6'1'' tall and 290 pounds in 2022. Scout team player of the year in 2022. The 2025 season was the first time Nebraska listed him at 6'2'' tall. Played in 12 games with basically 4 starts in 2023 (3 at LG, 1 at C) then has made 26 consecutive starts over the last 2 seasons. He ha 13 starts at LG in 2024. Transitioned to C in the spring of 2025 and made 13 starts at C in 2025. Allowed zero sacks in 2025. Despite having a decent rushing attack with Emmett Johnson (5th round pick 2026), Nebraska had a disappointing season overall and fired their OL coach Donovan Raiola.

Academic all-conference in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Studied advertising and public relations, graduated in May of 2026.

DraftBuzz: 4th round, 123 overall. Zero sacks, 10 pressures, 3 penalties in 2025. (+) Possible Day 2 prospect, should have a long NFL career. The most balanced center in draft class in terms of being both a good run and pass blocker. (-) Short, pure mass can stalemate him.
PFF: 63 overall, 2nd best C, 4th best IOL, 78.6 PFF grade in 2025.
Drafttek 153
NFLMDD sim 326 (UDFA range)
PFSN sim 284 (UDFA range), 11th center
Teets not ranked on board and not listed as yet to be studied, so presumably Teets doesn't think he's draft worthy or even a priority UDFA.
Walterfootball not ranked among top 10 center prospects, so presumably UDFA or lower. In 2026, there were only 9 players listed at C selected in the draft.

That's 4 out of 7 sources with an UDFA rank and 2 votes that at least consider him as potential 2nd round pick. That's not uncommon for a center prospect. When Tim Barnes (UDFA 2011) was in the draft, there was a similar spread for him.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

Clean tape. Polished. Justin Evans has some of the most consistent and cleanest tape you'll see from a center prospect, especially one who isn't considered to be an early round selection. Typically, a prospect will have ups and downs, some really good plays and some ugly plays. Maybe they are good vs quick defenders but really struggle vs size and power. Maybe they are great run blockers but poor pass blockers. Maybe they are great in a phonebooth but bad blocking in space the further they move from the LOS. Evans is the same guy week after week. He's solid across the board, whether run blocking or pass blocking. He's stout and strong at the POA or anchoring in pass pro, but he's also very explosive and mobile with great range. I don't think he's elite in any single area, but he doesn't have any true weakness in any category either. He's a balanced player, whether you're a team that wants to ground and pound with a star RB or if you have an air attack with a star QB. He can adapt to whatever you need the OL to do in the offensive system.

For example, take Beaux Limmer, who the Rams drafted very late in the 6th round in 2024. Limmer had phenomenal combine testing with 39 bench reps, a 4.57 second shuttle and a 36.5'' vertical jump. He's almost 6'5'' tall. He has very short arms, but some experts liked him. Most projected him to be a 4th to 5th round pick. I wasn't a big fan of Limmer prior to that draft, because I didn't think his tape was impressive. Is he more of a workout warrior? Why doesn't his athleticism translate to more consistent performance?

Outstanding explosiveness out of his stance. Very quick to set up after snapping the ball. Evans is very useful on screens; he can get to landmarks on tunnel screens that only a tiny percentage of IOL prospects can hit. In pass pro, you can pull Evans all the way outside of the OTs, effectively treating him like a left tackle protecting the QB's blindside, something you'd never dream of trying with a slow and unathletic center. Excellent lateral range for zone scheme blocking and wide runs. Good on short pulls.

Built like a fire hydrant. Great proportional frame for an NFL center. Thick lower half with thick thighs and calves. Compact and dense build with naturally low COG. Proper stance width, establishing a firm base and anchor. Stout at the POA on runs. Plays with great leverage.

Strong anchor. Only more powerful defenders will be able to drive him back. Any type of average power rush will get stoned and he refuses to yield an inch.

Patient in pass pro. Doesn't normally lunge despite having short arms. His helmet stays balanced, doesn't duck too far forward. Not as vulnerable to swim moves as you'd think given his height disadvantage. Multiple plays where he had outstanding timing and hands to stuff twists or stunts, especially ones involving LBs.

Excellent balance. Has contact balance even vs power. When he does get driven backward on pass blocks, he stays on his feet and can attempt to reanchor. Smooth pedal to maintain proper depth as help blocker.

Good twitch. Easily adapts and adjusts to slants. Recovery athleticism to react to counters. Lightning quick switching as help blocker. Smooth lateral movement in pass pro. Solid hand speed and accuracy. Was a good wrestler in HS.

Played in a pro-style offense with snaps under C and in shotgun. Has played in cold weather in Big Ten conference.

Natural athleticism in space, light on feet. Mobile and fluid if offense intentionally moves the pocket.

Reliable snapping the ball. Most snaps are very accurate with excellent velocity, as if the QB is getting the ball from a jugs machine. Once in a while the snap is low and is at or below the knee of the QB but most of the time the ball is well placed, allowing the QB to cleanly and quickly initiate the play with his drop back or a play fake.

Very durable. Started every game the last 2 seasons. I was unable to find any info about any major injuries with this prospect. He appeared to get rolled up on in one of the games I watched but stayed in the game and seemed to be fine.

Plays to the whistle, sometimes giving opponents an extra shove at the end of plays. Buries opponents into the ground when he has the advantage. Not soft, he was an excellent DL in HS.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Not a plus blocker. Evans might rarely have ugly plays where he looks terrible, but he also almost never has plays where he's dominant and does something spectacular. Nobody is going to make a highlight video about Justin Evans where he pancakes guys and knocks pass rushers to the ground. He doesn't do things like that. His selling point is consistency. IMO, this creates a ceiling where even if he reaches his full potential, he is unlikely to ever be more than just an average NFL starter. Nothing about him points to ever being in the Pro Bowl (unless it is one of those deals where 5 other guys all decline the invitation.)

Concerning lack of length. He's short and has short arms. Too frequently, his short arms let him down and were a glaring weakness. Sometimes instantly shed. Can be shocked by power immediately after the snap. Particularly concerning stack and shed losses were against bigger NTs with longer arms, because he likely will face more of those types in the NFL than he saw in college. Also vulnerable to club moves that knock him sideways. Was repeatedly beaten by push pull moves. Beaten too often by LBs at the 2nd level.

Doesn't have good grip strength. I wonder if he has small hands. Doesn't have heavy hands. Struggles to sustain run blocks, frequently opponent can disengage prior to the end of the play. Sometimes unable to defend his seal block.

Was driven backwards to the QB a few times, taking "slow" losses in pass pro. Could become a Senior Bowl practice "loser" where DL go wide around him or push him back in 1 vs 1 reps, hurting his draft stock. The practices don't mirror real game situations, because the defender doesn't have to stay inside a normal pass rush lane and this could make Evans look worse than he actually is as a pass blocker.

Prone to penalties. Often grabs, holds or pulls down defenders when he's out of position. Had penalty worthy plays that weren't flagged. Pushed DB in the back on a screen pass.

Not a people mover. Below average leg drive to displace DL. Unable to wash DTs laterally on combo blocks to widen the hole. Not an effective combo blocker due to lack of displacement. Not effective in short yardage and GL runs, made to look too small, not a drive blocker.

Has tight hips, limiting his redirect in space. He explodes into the 2nd level on runs and screens but too often misses moving defenders, resulting in whiffs or potential holds as he desperately tries to grab them. Average hip fluidity for reach blocks.

Doesn't have a flexible upper body, limiting his ability to salvage blocks when he's not square to the target.

Was late reacting to LB blitz, near whiff. Miscommunication with G vs a twist, giving up pressure on QB from both defenders.

Not a natural vocal leader. Coaches say he's quiet and they have tried to build him up with praise presumably to try to build his confidence and get him to come out of his shell and be more assertive. Doesn't fit normal profile of OL captain who commands the room.

While he does have position flexibility as both a C and G and has extensive starting experience at both positions, he'd be even more undersized at the G position. So, his natural spot in the pros is likely C.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

3rd round grade. Zach Frazier (2nd round 2024, Steelers, West Virginia)

His first 2 years in the NFL, Frazier has graded out as one of the best centers in the league. He's only average in size but he's a former wrestler who has a very strong upper body.

Evans might not be for everyone. He's small and he doesn't have great power as a run blocker. Nevertheless, I think he's going to be a successful NFL starter. His ideal team would be a system that relies on quick-hitting plays. Evans is super explosive with great blocking range. He also has good twitch and quickness to make successive blocks on 2 defenders in tight quarters, which translates well to pro ball. An NFL team that uses frequent screens, traps, counters, pull their OL on gap runs, all of those things are right up his alley. If you took Creed Humphrey out and put Justin Evans in a Chiefs type offense, I think he'd do very well. In the right scheme, Evans could end up with a crazy high PFF grade. He almost never loses at the beginning of the play. If you shed his block, it is only later in the rep, so if the pass is already out of the QB's hand or the RB is already to the hole, it doesn't matter anymore.

Evans is a slightly older prospect since he'll be a 5th year senior. It is difficult to predict where or even if Evans might get drafted. Luke Wypler from Ohio State was an undersized center and he went in the middle of the 6th round in 2023. Keep in mind this was only slightly lower than Puka Nacua was taken. Earlier in that draft cycle, Wypler was considered to be a potential 2nd round pick. IMO, Evans is a better prospect than Wypler. Also, I feel that 2027 could be a weak class for centers and this was a consideration in why I decided to slot him into Day 2.

Maybe Evans isn't a "swing for the fences" type of draft pick, but once you get to the middle rounds of the draft, that's okay. You don't need 5 Pro Bowlers on your OL to build a winning roster. Especially for teams that have very bad IOL situations and are just trying to solidify the situation, someone like Evans could hold appeal. Just stop the bleeding.

The Rams have a very stacked roster right now, which is very exciting. The other side of that coin is we could be facing some tough salary cap decisions in the near future and might have to let players go mostly for cap reasons, not due to performance. If Snead decides to try to cut costs at certain positions to spend more at other positions, center is one of the most likely positions we'd try to roll with a rookie contract or vet minimum type player. Why pay $6 million for a center (the way they structured Shelton's contract, his cap hit is $9.5 million this season) if you can get a rookie center who only costs about $1 million in cap charge? The rookie doesn't even need to be as good as the vet, just "close enough" to make it worth the money saved.

So, a key reason to keep an eye on center prospects like Evans isn't because they are necessarily instant upgrades for the Rams over Coleman Shelton, it is because the Rams might have a hole at the position in 2027 that needs to be plugged with an inexpensive option.