Lee Evans is a name that diehard fans of the NFL won’t forget. Evans is among the best wide receivers to never make the Pro Bowl. His career will be best remembered for his time with the Buffalo Bills from 2004 to 2010.
The 44-year-old will be representing his former team, the Bills, in announcing one of their Day 2 picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. It will be exactly 21 years to the day that Evans heard his name called at No. 13 overall by the Bills in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Revisiting Lee Evans’ College Career
Evans was a track and football star at Bedford High School near Cleveland, Ohio. He then committed to Wisconsin in 1999. The program was coming off the high of being Big Ten Champions and Rose Bowl Champions under head coach Barry Alvarez.
Evans helped the team during his freshman season, catching 30 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns.
He would break out during his sophomore season, finishing with 75 catches for 1,545 yards and nine touchdowns despite having a revolving door at the quarterback position.
Unfortunately, injury struck and Evans missed the entire 2002 season with a torn ACL.
However, he would return for his senior year and once again put up incredible numbers, finishing with 64 catches for 1,213 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He also caught the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Badgers’ win over the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
Evans remains the school’s leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and he was inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.
Revisiting Evans’ NFL Career
After Evans became the No. 13 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, he shined as a rookie, catching 48 passes for 843 yards and nine touchdowns. His nine touchdowns remain a Bills rookie record.
His best statistical year came in the 2006 season. After the departure of Eric Moulds, Evans stepped up and caught 82 balls for 1,292 yards and eight touchdowns.
He would also put up solid numbers in 2007 and 2008. Unfortunately, it was a period of futility, as the Bills did not qualify for the playoffs in Evans’ three most productive seasons.
However, injuries eventually caught up to him. He had a shoulder surgery to fix a lingering problem before the start of the 2008 season, but he managed to return and put up a 1,000-yard season. He then had an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve in the 2009 season, ending his streak of 109 straight games played.
Evans was then traded to the Baltimore Ravens for a fourth-round pick. He only played in nine games for the Ravens and made a crucial error in the AFC Championship game. With 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Evans dropped a touchdown pass after New Orleans Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore jarred the ball loose. Kicker Billy Cundiff then missed the game-tying field goal, and the Ravens lost.
Evans would then sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he did not play a game for them. He ultimately retired in 2012.
Evans remains third on the Bills’ all-time receiving yards leaderboard with 5,934 career yards.