LOS ANGELES -- Maurice Evans thinks he's good enough to be a first-round NFL draft pick, and Tuesday he sounded like a guy who's getting ready to play his final game at Penn State.
Evans, a junior defensive end, was asked if he plans to be back with the Nittany Lions next year.
"I have no idea," he said. "We just have to see. I have to sit down and talk to some people."
Evans confirmed he has submitted the paperwork to be evaluated by the NFL's advisory committee, which lets college underclassmen know where they may be drafted. So, what round would it take to leave early?
"It depends on the player's preference," Evans said. "If he feels he's a definite first-rounder, go for it. Why not?
"It all depends on what your living situation is, what your situation is at home. So like, it's just something you've got to sit down and evaluate."
Do you see yourself as a first-rounder, he was asked.
"I think so," Evans answered.
That may have been the consensus opinion had Evans enjoyed a season similar to his fantastic sophomore year. He was eighth in the nation with 12 1/2 sacks and sixth with 21 1/2 tackles for losses in 2007.
This year could not have started much worse, however, for the preseason All-American. Police found marijuana in his apartment Sept. 2, three days after the season opener, and Evans was suspended for the next three games. He later was charged with misdemeanor possession.
When he returned to the field, he was backing up super sophomore Aaron Maybin, who went on to become a first-team All-American and is considered a potential first-round pick in next year's draft.
The Lions stood to have a tremendous defensive line with both Maybin and Evans back in 2009. Now, there seems to be a good chance neither will return.
Evans may be back if he doesn't project high enough in the draft. But only he knows what is high enough, and he didn't reveal it Tuesday. His stock may have fallen this year as he has only 31 tackles, 3 sacks and 4 1/2 tackles for losses in nine games.
Still, that may be good enough to land the 6-foot-2, 264-pounder in the second or third round. Whether that's lucrative enough is a decision every player must make.
Cornerback Justin King, for instance, left after his junior season despite being projected as a second- or third-round pick by the NFL advisory committee. King fell to the fourth round in April's draft.
Evans won't make up his mind until after the Rose Bowl, after hearing from the NFL advisory board and after talking with coach Joe Paterno.
Evans holds no grudges against JoePa for how the coach handled the marijuana repercussions. Defensive tackle Abe Koroma also served a three-game suspension and was charged with misdemeanor possession from the incident.
"What can you do as a head coach?" Evans said. "You have to show disciplinary action. ... I respect him for what he did. I mean, there's no hate between me and Joe when the suspension came down on us. I expect him to do exactly what he did.
"He respects you as a man," Evans added, "when you come talk to him as a man, when you let him know that you messed up. ... I don't blame him for the suspension or anything."
He blames himself and said the biggest lesson he learned was "just basically watch the company you keep."
Koroma said athletes must make smarter choices dealing with so many temptations in college.
"Not even as an athlete, but as a college student there's a lot of things going on that are tempting," he said, "and we've just got to be smart and stay away from that type of stuff."
Koroma has 24 tackles and has provided depth on PSU's stifling defensive line. The suspension hit him hard as he and Evans were not allowed to attend the three games.
"It was tough," Koroma said. "Sometimes I couldn't even watch the whole game [on TV]. I had to turn it off maybe the first quarter or at halftime."
Evans called the ordeal a "humbling" experience.
"I just missed football at that time," he said. "It was just a little rough time I went through. ... When I came back, it made me work twice as hard. It just made me keep myself out of bad situations."
Cory Giger is at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.
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Should they stay or go?
NFL.com draft analyst Gil Brandt told the Mirror that Maurice Evans should stay in school and said the same thing about Aaron Maybin. Brandt said too many underclassmen get caught up into thinking they are ready for the NFL both physically and from a maturity standpoint, and many find out they are not.
Brandt used former PSU standout left tackle Levi Brown as an example of how staying in school can help a player. Brown returned for his senior year and was the No. 5 pick in the draft, and Brandt said the decision to stay in school earned Brown millions of extra dollars.
