The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's Mark Evans II accepted an invitation to the NFL scouting combine, the graduate offensive lineman announced on social media.
The invitation-only event brings about 300 of the top football prospects in the nation to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for a week of drills and a chance to improve their NFL draft stock, according to a UAPB news release.
Evans is the first UAPB player to be invited to the combine since OL Terron Armstead (Miami Dolphins) in 2013. The combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 and will be televised live on the NFL Network.
Football Championship Subdivision ranks Evans as one of the top (FCS) linemen in the country, one of the top HBCU draft picks for the upcoming selection, and on the radar of several NFL teams' draft boards.
Evans burst onto the national spotlight for his fundamentals, quick hands, toughness, long-range athletic ability, and footwork.
The 6-foot-4, 295-pound St. Louis native, has been compared to former UAPB tackle Armstead.
Evans had 521 snaps with a 93% overall grade and only two sacks the entire season.
The former Golden Lions team captain was recently invited to the East and West Shrine Bowl, and named first-team Stats Perform FCS All-America and Bluebloods FCS All-American Team.
Evans was also named to the Phil Steele FCS All-Conference Teams, Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List, Walton Payton Award Watch List, Stats Perform FCS All-America Third Team, BoxToRow Preseason HBCU All-America First Team, and the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 list. He's also a four-time First Team (SWAC) All-Conference, three-time HBCU Boxtorow All-American, a Boxtorow All-American Honoree, and a HBCU Classic All-American, and is rated a top-10 HBCU player by Pro Football Network.