Akayleb Evans

Akayleb Evans
No. 21 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1999-06-22) June 22, 1999 (age 25)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:McKinney
(McKinney, Texas)
College:
NFL draft:2022 / round: 4 / pick: 118
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024
Total tackles:89
Forced fumbles:4
Pass deflections:9
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Akayleb Evans (born June 22, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tulsa before transferring to Missouri.

Early life

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Evans grew up in McKinney, Texas and attended McKinney High School.[1] As a senior, he recorded 48 tackles, five pass breakups, and one fumble recovery and was named second-team all-District 10-6A.[2] Evans initially committed to play college football at Kansas, but later flipped his commitment to Tulsa.[3]

College career

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Evans began his collegiate career with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. As a freshman, he played in nine games with five starts and had 26 tackles and two passes broken up.[4] Evans suffered a shoulder injury in the third game of his junior season and used a medical redshirt.[5] He played in all nine of Tulsa's games during their COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and finished the year with 30 tackles (27 solo tackles), one sack, three passes broken up, and one forced fumble.[6] After his redshirt junior season, Evans entered the transfer portal.[7]

Evans transferred to Missouri as a graduate transfer.[8] He had considered offers from Notre Dame, Texas, Texas Tech, and Jackson State.[9] In his lone season with the Tigers, Evans was a starter at cornerback and finished the season with 28 tackles, two forced fumbles, six passes broken up, and one interception.[10] After the conclusion of his college career, Evans played in the 2022 Senior Bowl.[11]

College statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yds TD FF FR TD
2017 Tulsa 9 6 26 20 6 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 Tulsa 9 5 21 13 8 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 Tulsa 3 3 6 2 4 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 Tulsa 9 9 29 24 5 1.0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
2021 Missouri 11 8 30 27 3 0.0 6 1 0 0 2 0 0
Career 41 31 112 86 26 1.0 17 1 0 0 3 0 0

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m) 		197 lb
(89 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		 4.46 s 1.53 s 2.59 s 4.09 s 7.07 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 9 in
(3.28 m)		 17 reps
Sources:[12][13]

Evans was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 118th pick of the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.[14] Evans entered his rookie season as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart behind Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, and Chandon Sullivan. He was placed on injured reserve on December 7, 2022.[15]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD
2022 MIN 10 2 23 19 4 0.0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0
2023 MIN 15 15 65 49 16 0.0 0 7 1 1 1.0 1 0 3 0 0
2024 MIN 2 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 27 17 89 68 21 0.0 0 9 1 1 1.0 1 0 4 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Emig, Guerin (January 26, 2019). "'The bold one' -- TU cornerback Akayleb Evans has a voice. Now is the time we must hear it". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "TU recruit gallery -- Akayleb Evans". Tulsa World. January 31, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Florek, Michael (July 21, 2016). "McKinney defensive back Akayleb Evans flips commitment from Kansas to Tulsa". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Hines, Kelly (August 26, 2018). "Maturity benefiting TU cornerback Akayleb Evans". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  5. ^ Gabriel, Parker (May 15, 2021). "A graduate transfer pops onto the radar for Huskers at defensive back". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Engel, Patrick (May 17, 2021). "Grad Transfer Corner Comes Onto Notre Dame's Radar, Picks Up Offer". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  7. ^ Sampson, Pete (May 24, 2021). "Akayleb Evans has some Kyle Hamilton traits, but can Notre Dame beat out Texas, Missouri and more for him?". The Athletic. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Matter, Dave (June 12, 2021). "Mizzou bolsters secondary with Tulsa transfer Akayleb Evans". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Blum, Eric (August 13, 2021). "Tulsa defensive back transfers Akayleb Evans, Allie Green reunite on Mizzou football team". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Gilliam, Parker (April 4, 2022). "NFL Draft Profile: Akayleb Evans". RockMNation.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  11. ^ Kwiecinski, Chris (January 20, 2022). "Mizzou football's Tyler Badie and Akayleb Evans to face each other in 2022 Senior Bowl". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Akayleb Evans Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Akayleb Evans College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ^ Smith, Eric (April 30, 2022). "New Vikings CB Akayleb Evans Ready to Learn From Patrick Peterson". Vikings.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  15. ^ "Vikings Place CB Akayleb Evans and TE Ben Ellefson on IR". Vikings.com. December 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
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