2. Open Mindedness
Easily the most appealing aspect of Jerod Evans’ game is the fact that he isn’t ready to take over an NFL offense. In other words: if the New York Giants were to draft Evans, they’d be able to avoid a quarterback competition like the one that recently transpired with the Dallas Cowboys.
Evans has the upside of an NFL quarterback, however, and developing behind Eli Manning would afford him the opportunity to do exactly that.
It’s fair to be skeptical of whether a prospect, no matter their grade, would be willing to sit behind a veteran. Evans is one of the rare and valuable exceptions to the rule in the sense that he’s already claimed to be open to such a situation.
According to Ed Valentine of Big Blue View, Evans stated that he’s open to the possibility of developing behind a Super Bowl winning quarterback.
"“I wouldn’t mind coming into the league and learning from a veteran at all. Learning form a guy of that magnitude and who has two Super Bowl rings and knows a lot about the game, it doesn’t hurt me to sit behind a guy like that,” Evans said. “I think Aaron Rodgers did the same thing with Brett Favre so it wouldn’t bother me.”"
Evans is both aware of NFL history and open to the wonderful opportunity to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time.
Evans has the tools to be a quality player, but he lacks the experience and discipline to be a full-time starter. The fact that he’s willing to polish his game behind a player who’s safe as a starter in the short-term is ideal.
The question is: will Evans be available for the New York Giants to groom him behind Eli Manning once the time comes for Jerry Reese to draft a quarterback?