Rashaan Evans was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 22nd pick of the first round of the National Football League Draft on Thursday.
He’s the fifth Alabama linebacker under Nick Saban to be drafted in the first round.
The media chose Evans as a first-team All-SEC selection in 2017, while he received second-team honors from the league coaches. The American Football Coaches Assocation named him a first-team All-American.
He was also one of four players chosen as a permanent team captain by his teammates. He was among 15 players honored as semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best linebacker.
Evans was tied with Ronnie Harrison for the team lead with 74 tackles this season despite missing two games to injury. He led Alabama with 13 tackles for loss and was second with 6.5 sacks. He also added one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, seven quarterback hurries and three pass breakups.
He had 152 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in his Alabama career. Evans burst onto the scene as an outside linebacker in the 2015 national championship against Clemson when he had three tackles and two sacks as a sophomore. He moved to inside linebacker at the end of the season and played there as a junior and senior.
