Carolina Panthers select Mitchell Evans in fifth round of 2025 NFL Draft

Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans is officially heading to the NFL. He was selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Carolina Panthers selected Evans with in the fifth round of the draft. He put together an impressive career at Notre Dame despite suffering a torn ACL as a junior, emerging as a key piece of the passing attack.

Evans led the Fighting Irish with 43 receptions as a senior in 2024 as they made a run to the national championship game. He totaled 421 yards and three touchdowns after fully recovering from the injury, which came amid an impressive junior campaign. In eight games in 2023, he had 422 yards and a touchdown.

Evans began his career as the backup to Michael Mayer before becoming Notre Dame’s No. 1 tight end in 2023. Now, he’s taking his talents to the next level.

Evans played high school football at Wadsworth (OH), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 322 overall player and No. 12-ranked tight end from the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Mitchell Evans

Due to the timing of his injury, Mitchell Evans wasn’t fully healthy when Notre Dame’s 2024 season began. But he continued to progress and build a strong connection with quarterback Riley Leonard, and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein pointed out he also makes an impact as a blocker. As a result, he can play multiple roles in the league.

“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 wrote. “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.”