Although Bobby Evans is no stranger to playing on a big stage, he has already gotten a taste of NFL life in his first few practices with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams have done what they can to shore up some young depth on the offensive line in recent years. Evans enjoyed a solid career at Oklahoma that saw him help to protect two future No. 1 overall picks in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray before being selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Evans has had plenty of experience pushing around NFL talent in the Big-12 as a member of two College Football Playoffs. Regardless, he seems to have already noticed the difference in skill level with the Rams.
According to Clarence Dennis of the team’s official website, Evans is enjoying the transition to the pros:
“We pushed each other each and every day, our coach didn’t allow anything less,” Evans said in his opening press conference as a pro. “We held each other to a really high standard, and as far as off the field we were never late, we didn’t have any misses or anything like that, so we pretty much led the team.”
Evans admits to getting a little star-struck taking the field with the likes of Aaron Donald.
“It is what I expected because I expected them to be bigger and stronger and faster and things like that,” Evans said. “Coming out and being on the same field as these guys like Aaron Donald and all those guys, it’s crazy. Like, ‘Wow these guys are superstars, but I’m on the same field as them.’ So it’s been a pretty cool experience.”
It is encouraging to see that Evans is getting accustomed to life in the NFL. The rookie has an opportunity to develop in one of the best offensive line groups in the league.
Although he played both left and right tackle in college, it appears he will be lining up at the latter at the next level. This will slot him behind Rob Havenstein, who has become a bit of a stalwart in this unit over the last few years.
It is no secret that expectations are higher than ever in Los Angeles, as they were for Evans in Oklahoma. While most of the hype surrounding the Rams’ offense is credited to the likes of Sean McVay, Jared Goff, and Todd Gurley, the team is banking on their investment in the offensive line to come to fruition in the near future.
