A question was asked just days ago, asking if Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was a Hall of Fame member in the first round. This has led to calculations, debates and conversations regarding the star off the coast.

There are things Mike Evans has done that no other receiver in the history of the game has done. We all know the seven straight seasons to start a career with 1,000 or more receiving yards – something his idol Randy Moss has never accomplished. However, there is more to this conversation than that.

In the history of the NFL – or professional football – there have only been seven wide receivers inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in the first round. Raymond Barry, Lance Allworth, Paul Warfield, Steve Largent, Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson. You can assume Larry Fitzgerald will do number eight, but that’s a slim class. Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Marvin Harrison, Art Monk, Isaac Bruce – these guys dominated the game every time they stepped onto a field and weren’t inducted in the first round.

It’s already a tough sledge for Evans.

Take a look at some of the players who are voting first compared to Evans. Calvin Johnson in the first seven full seasons of his limited career recorded 40 more receptions, 1,062 more yards and five more touchdowns. Jerry Rice in the same stretch had 806 more yards, 32 more touchdowns and six fewer receptions. Evans’ idol, Randy Moss? 48 extra receptions, 876 extra yards and 29 extra touchdowns.

Now Evans has a long way to go. He just turned 28 last August and can climb into the top ten for yards of all time when he’s 33 just by continuing to get 1,000 yards each of those seasons. However, history shows that this is not likely.

I believe Evans will end up with a Hall of Fame career ultimately if we plan for him to continue on a similar trajectory to the one he’s currently on. But first ballot? I think that might be too much to ask of the best offensive player in Buccaneers history.

Check out the conversation I had with Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay on this same topic on the latest Locked On Bucs podcast in the player below or by clicking here. While you’re at it, subscribe to the channel for more Bucs content.