Sports

Okla. State’s Evers opts out, starts NFL draft prep

Okla. State's Evers opts out, starts NFL draft prep

Oklahoma State starting defensive tackle Brendon Evers, who has been dealing with an unspecified injury, on Thursday said he will skip the rest of the season and begin preparing for the NFL draft.

“Thank you Cowboy Nation for some of the best years a kid could ask for,” Evers posted on Twitter. “… Sometimes God has a different plan than the one you originally thought.”

Evers, a sixth-year player with 26 career starts and 53 career appearances, wrote that he had consulted with his family and Oklahoma State’s coaches and medical staff.

He started four of the first six games for No. 11 Oklahoma State and appeared in five, recording three tackles. Evers did not play against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and he was listed as the starter for Saturday’s game against No. 20 Texas.

Junior Xavier Ross is listed as Evers’ backup, although Tyler Lacy has started two games in place of Evers at tackle.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Evers does not have an ESPN rating for the NFL draft. He started all 14 games in 2021, recording 21 tackles and three sacks for an Oklahoma State defense that ranked fifth nationally in yards allowed.