Evan Spencer was sitting on the couch Saturday afternoon when his phone rang. He noticed that the call was coming from a Virginia area code and picked it up. His brother, Cole, an area scout with the Washington Redskins, was on the other line.
“I heard Cole’s voice and he was like, ’Hey man, we’re getting you,’” Evan Spencer said. “I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t even know what I said, honestly. I just started freaking out.”
Spencer, a wide receiver out of Ohio State, was selected by the Redskins with the No. 187 overall pick in the 2015 draft. His NFL roots run deep. In addition to his brother’s scouting role, Spencer’s father, Tim, is an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Spencer was the second wide receiver drafted by the Redskins on Saturday, joining Duke product and fourth-round selection Jamison Crowder. Though Spencer does not have eye-popping collegiate statistics, he is an above-average run blocker and also completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas in the Sugar Bowl. He believes he has a lot to offer.
“I feel like I’m one of the tougher receivers out there, that’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and to win football games. And whatever that entails, that’s what I’m willing to do,” Spencer said.
In addition to Spencer’s offensive ability, the wide receiver was a core special teams player at Ohio State. Coach Jay Gruden raved about his ability in that phase of the game.
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“When you watch him play, you look at his stats, you’re like, ’Why would they draft him?’” Gruden said. “But this guy is a very tough football player. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s physical. He’s going to be a demon on special teams. He’s going to make it hard on everybody to make a move with him, but I think he’s going to be here for a while just because of his mental makeup. He’s a heck of a person.”
Hailing from Vernon Hills, Illinois, Spencer recorded only 15 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns in 2014. In four years with the Buckeyes, he never finished with more than 216 receiving yards in a single season. He was often overshadowed by more explosive receivers, including second-round pick Devin Smith last season.
“Yeah, I’d say maybe it was a little bit frustrating at first,” Spencer said. “But once we all got together as a team and just kind of got rolling, we all saw what we could do. We all saw the great things that we can accomplish. It was really easy to just get on board and just to do whatever I could to just play my part.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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