SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Mike Evans’ message this spring: humble over hype.That’s what the new San Francisco 49ers receiver had on his t-shirt when he addressed the media on Wednesday. It’s also the vibe the 12-year veteran has given since the team’s offseason program began in April.“It’s hard for young guys not to fan-girl over a guy like that,” said tackle Trent Williams, who at 37 is one of the few 49ers older than Evans, 32. “Even myself, I’ll watch him from afar. Coach (Kyle Shanahan) put him up on the big board today. For OTAs in what, Year 13, taking it as serious as he did? That to me is an example of why he is who he is.”Evans’ serious spring continued during Wednesday’s practice.Brock Purdy’s first pass in 7-on-7 drills went his direction on an easy 10-yard out pattern at the sideline. Purdy also connected on a deeper sideline pass to Evans against cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and Evans finished with four catches during the roughly eighty-minute practice.Teammates said Evans’ length and route-running ability have already been evident. George Kittle noted the 49ers had a red-zone period earlier in the week — in a practice that wasn’t open to reporters — and Evans came away with “three to five” touchdowns.More than that, Kittle and others said, is the example he’s setting for younger players like De’Zhaun Stribling, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing — all of whom grew up watching Evans catch touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The go-getter everyone’s talking about at 49ers OTA practices: Mike Evans
Evans and rookie D'Zhaun Stribling were among the standouts in a Wednesday practice that featured several deep-ball connections.











