Tampa Bay Buccaneers' wide receiver Mike Evans has made of habit of embarrassing drops

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver and 2014 first-round draft pick Mike Evans is a sure-fire, first ballot Hall of Famer.

He's been one of the best receivers in the NFL since entering the league and has maintained a high level of play for the entirety of his career. He has reached 1000 receiving yards in each of the first nine years of his career, and he's on pace to make it 10in 2023.

That said, I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "When it comes to Mike Evans, there are only two certainties: 1000 yards and one of the most horrendous drops of the season." That may not be the correct quote. Nevertheless, it rings true, and during the Bucs' Week 10 win over Tennessee, the trend continued.

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2023, Week 10 v. Tennessee

Evans had an incredible game, recording six receptions, 143 yards, and a touchdown as the Bucs beat the Titans by a final of 20-6. However, with 10:57 left in the third quarter, Evans had an opportunity to score another touchdown. With the Buccaneers down at the opposing seven-yard line, Evans broke through the Titans' defense and found a hole in the back of the endzone. Quarterback Baker Mayfield found Evans, but Evans could not haul it in.

Look at him flail about, even trying to kick the ball back up with his foot. It didn't work obviously, and to add insult to injury, Evans then backed into the field goal post. It was just an utterly embarrassing moment for an otherwise fantastic player. This isn't the only time something like this has happened though.

2022, Week 17 v. Carolina

During the final season of Tom Brady's illustrious career, his Buccaneers underperformed to the tune of an 8-9 record, barely earning a spot in the postseason. In Week 17 of the season, the Bucs had a pivotal game against the Carolina Panthers on New Years' Day to help clinch the NFC South. They won, 30-24, but Evans was not immune to dropping a very catchable pass in this one.

Once again, Evans had a great game, racking up ten receptions, 207 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. This was also the game that Evans broke 1000 yards on the season. He did not play in the Week 18 game against Atlanta.

Awesome achievements aside, this was not Evans' only bad drop of the season. In fact, this wasn't his only bad drop against these Panthers.

2022 Week 7 @ Carolina

If no one remembers, the beginning of the 2022 season was not kind to the Buccaneers. They went into their Week 7 game against the Panthers with a 3-3 record, and lost 21-3. It was brutal, but an 18-point loss to a team led by P.J. Walker is nothing in comparison to this awful drop Evans had less than two minutes into the game.

Ruthless. Terrible. There wasn't a defender on the screen when the ball hit Evans' hands. His defender fell over even. You have to bring that one in. Who knows, this drop happened very early in the game. If Evans brings in this touchdown, maybe the Bucs win this game.

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2020 NFC Conference Championship @ Green Bay

We all know how this game ended up. The Bucs won and went on to dominate the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That said, this NFC Championship Game was closer than it needed to be. Why? Because near the start of the fourth quarter with the Bucs inside the Packers' 30-yard line, Evans had a brutal drop tip off his fingers and into the hands of Jaire Alexander.

You can see during the play that Evans had to stretch for the ball. It wasn't an easy catch by any means, but as the saying goes, "If it hits your hands, you should catch it."

This was the first playoff run of Evans' career, and he almost cost his team the game. On a national stage, a drop like this probably hurt.

2019, Week 6 v. Carolina

Back when Jameis Winston was still the quarterback for Tampa Bay, nobody ever knew where the ball was going. It could go be a gorgeous throw that lands right in his receiver's bread basket from 60 yards away, or it could go straight into quadruple coverage and into the arms of a D-lineman. When the opportunity presented itself in the former, the Bucs' receivers had to take advantage. That wasn't always the case unfortunately though.

In this scenario, the Buccaneers had a chance to sweep the Panthers, having already defeated them 20-14 in Week 2. The Bucs lost this game 37-26. Even if Evans caught this pass, it's likely the Buccaneers still would've lost, but it's still tough to watch.

Evans' history with drops

For the entirety of his career, the biggest knock against Mike Evans has been his hands. Early in his career, Evans' drop rate was always near the top of the league.

Evans has cleaned that area of his game up as he's gotten older. He's not perfect, but he's gotten better. That doesn't mean he's immune to those occasional embarrassing ones though.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Evans' embarrassing drop is another in an otherwise superb career