Mitchell
Evans.
Mitchell
Evans.
Notre Dame· 6'5"· 258 lb· 4.74s 40
"Evans is the last of the true Y tight ends — a 258-pound in-line blocker who catches enough to stay honest, and who never quite got his explosiveness back after the 2023 knee injury."Pre-draft read
Evans is a blocker first and he is comfortable saying so. He fits up in-line, sustains through the whistle, and has the frame and grip strength to handle defensive ends on down blocks — genuinely rare among tight ends entering the league. In the run game he creates movement on duo and gap concepts, and he is reliable enough to be left alone on the backside.
As a receiver he is a big target with dependable hands and good body control on contested throws. What he does not have is separation. He builds speed slowly, he rounds his breaks, and he will not threaten a safety vertically. His receiving value is on option routes, seams against zone and boundary fades, not on a full route tree.
Wide-zone or gap-scheme run game that plays heavy personnel — a Shanahan-tree offense with 12 and 13 personnel, or any team that wants a true in-line Y attached to the formation.
Year 1: TE2 and blocking specialist in heavy packages. Ceiling: high-end TE2 with 30-40 catches in a run-first offense.
Spread offense that plays its tight end detached in the slot and asks him to win one-on-one against nickel corners.
He is a football player for a specific kind of offense, and the wrong system makes him a game-day inactive.
Mitchell Evans Notre Dame Highlights
2025 NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: Mitchell Evans | TE | Notre Dame
Mitchell Evans || Notre Dame Fighting Irish Tight End || 2023 Junior Highlights
Evans spent four years at Notre Dame as the do-everything tight end in a run-first offense, finishing with 77 catches for 903 yards and five touchdowns across 45 games. The counting stats undersell his role: he was the primary in-line blocker on one of the more physical run games in college football, and that job does not produce targets.
The blocking is the pitch and it is a real one. At 6-5 and 258 pounds he plays with proper technique — hands inside, feet live, hips through the block — and he can be trusted to handle an end without help. Offenses that want to run 12 personnel need this player, and there are fewer of them entering the league every year.
The receiving profile is where the value caps out. He tore his ACL in November 2023 and the 2024 tape shows a player whose burst has not fully returned; he ran 4.74 and tested as a below-average athlete across the board. He can win on seams against zone and box out in the red area, but he will not create separation against man coverage. That makes him a TE2 with real value in a run-heavy system, which is exactly where a fifth-round pick belongs.
- 01
In-line Blocker
Sustains blocks against defensive ends, not just linebackers.
- 02
Physical Frame
Possesses a 6-foot-5, 258-pound frame with natural, reliable hands away from his body.
- 03
Red Zone Threat
Shows strong contested-catch and boxing-out ability in the red zone.
- 04
Pro-Style Scheme
Comes from Notre Dame's tight-end-heavy, pro-style run scheme.
- 05
Injury Return
Returned from a 2023 ACL injury to start the full 2024 season.
- 01
Limited Separation
Has minimal separation quickness; 4.74 speed limits the vertical element.
- 02
Predictable Routes
His route running is rounded and predictable off the line.
- 03
Modest Production
His production never spiked, with 903 career receiving yards across 45 games.
- 04
Post-ACL Burst
Post-ACL burst and change of direction did not fully return on 2024 tape.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.74sp50
- Vertical
- 31inp50
- Broad jump
- 115inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.25sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.40sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Notre Dame | 13 | 2 | 21 | 0 |
| 2022 | Notre Dame | 8 | 3 | 39 | 1 |
| 2023 | Notre Dame | 8 | 29 | 422 | 1 |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 16 | 43 | 421 | 3 |
| Career | — | 45 | 77 | 903 | 5 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Riley LeonardQB23%
- Jaden GreathouseWR7%
- Jeremiyah LoveRB6%
#4 of 24 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.29 (p60) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Evans projects as a blocking-first tight end with occasional receiving flashes, similar to Dwelley's role as a dependable TE2.
Evans's receiving upside could mirror Conklin's, offering reliable hands and an ability to contribute consistently in the passing game.
At his floor, Evans could become a depth tight end who provides some pass-catching ability but struggles to secure a consistent starting role.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Carolina needed a tight end who could block for its run game, and Evans at 163 was the cleanest fit in that range.
The knee is what pushed a player with this blocking résumé to the fifth round. Pre-injury, the 2023 version was a day-two conversation; the post-ACL testing numbers made everyone recalibrate.
The realistic outcome is a long career as a TE2 who plays 400 snaps a year and blocks on most of them. That is not exciting, but it is a useful NFL player at a position where useful NFL players are scarce, and it is a completely fair return on a fifth-round pick.