Skip to main content
Notre Dame

Carolina Panthers pick Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans in fifth round of 2025 NFL Draft

Kyle Kellyby: Kyle Kelly04/26/25ByKyleKelly
Mitchell Evans
Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans. (Mike Miller/Blue & Gold)

Former Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans is a Carolina Panther.

Evans is the fifth Notre Dame player to get selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, joining cornerback Benjamin Morrison (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 53), safety Xavier Watts (Atlanta Falcons, No. 96), linebacker Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars, No. 107) and defensive tackle Rylie Mills (No. 142). Evans is also the first Fighting Irish offensive player to come off the board. 

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein viewed Evans as a fourth- or fifth-round pick going in. Sure enough. He projects the former Notre Dame standout as a good backup with the potential to develop into a starter in the NFL. 

“Combination tight end who came back strong from a season-ending knee injury in 2023 and got better and more productive as the season progressed,” Zierlein said. “Evans is willing as a blocker and has the size to help in that area, but he would be more consistent with better pad level and strain to finish what he starts. 

“He catches passes aligning in-line or from the slot and frames up defenders to create catch space when contested. He has good ball skills and put a couple of spectacular catches on tape, but he will lose effectiveness beyond the second level. 

“Evans’ size and dual-capacity ability on all three downs gives him a chance to become a starter with average catch production.”

Before Evans tore his ACL on Oct. 28, 2023, against Pittsburgh, he was considered a potential Day 2 NFL Draft pick. The 6-foot-5, 258-pounder had a hot start to his junior season, catching 29 passes for a career-high 422 yards and 1 touchdown. 

Though he was 10 months removed from surgery at the start of the 2024 season, it took Evans several weeks to regain full form. He did not catch more than 3 passes until he had 4 receptions for 26 yards against Georgia Tech on Oct. 19. His first 5-catch outing was in Notre Dame’s regular-season finale when he also had a season high 59 yards. 

Eventually, Evans emerged as a key pass-catching target for quarterback Riley Leonard in the team’s final two College Football Playoff games. He combined 9 catches for 110 yards against Penn State and Ohio State. Evans had 3 first downs against the Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl.

A product of Wadsworth, Ohio, Evans immediately contributed to the Irish when he arrived on campus as a freshman in 2021. He appeared in all 13 games and caught 2 passes for 21 yards. The following season, as program record-holder Michael Mayer’s sidekick, Evans played in 8 outings. However, he had no catches until posting 3 for 39 yards in the Gator Bowl against South Carolina. 

Evans was a four-star recruit who ranked as the No. 11 player in Ohio, No. 12 tight end nationally and No. 322 overall player in the 2021 class. He signed with the Irish over offers from Florida State, Michigan State and West Virginia. 

You may also like