Maurice Evans insisted he’s not bitter and isn’t looking back.
A potential first-round pick in the NFL Draft going into his junior year at Penn State, the 6-foot-2, 270-pound Brooklyn native saw his stock drop after being suspended for three games after a small amount of marijuana was found in the apartment he shared with teammates. When he returned to the field, the form he had during his break-out sophomore season wasn’t there.
Still, the defensive end decided to forego his senior year and ended up falling out of the draft over the weekend, but he is now set to sign with the Giants as a free agent.
“I don’t have any regrets,” the former Christ the King star said of his early jump to the pros. “I’ve got my foot in the door. What happened in the draft is irrelevant.”
Maybe to Evans, but not to his old high school coach.
“He has an opportunity, but I’m shocked by what happened,” CTK coach Kevin Kelly said. “It’s unbelievable that he did what he did as a 19-year-old sophomore and then not get drafted.”
Evans had 12ñ½ sacks as a sophomore and was a preseason All-American with the Nittany Lions before his disappointing final year. But the Brooklyn native is only concerned now with making the Giants.
“Once you get there, it doesn’t matter where you were taken,” Evans said. “Everyone is going to have to prove themselves.”
He’ll be learning from some of the best and has already talked to defensive line coach Mike Waufle.
“They have guys like Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora,” Evans said. “So they’re good with linemen.”
Despite having been from Brooklyn, Evans never has been to Giants Stadium. He said he is slated to go there on Thursday.
“I just want to show them what I can do,” Evans said. “And even though I’m not [angry], I want to show other teams what I’m about. I’m not criticizing anybody, but I’m confident in my abilities.”
And he thinks the precedent has already been set.
“Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick and now he’s one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history,” Evans said. “I’m not saying that’s going to be me, but it makes you know that the draft doesn’t mean everything.”