Evans was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft and had a promising start to his career playing in 10 games including a pair of starts with two pass deflections and 23 total tackles. But concussions cut his rookie year short and he never found his footing when Brian Flores replaced defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

The Minnesota Vikings waived cornerback Akayleb Evans on Saturday in another setback for their beleaguered 2022 draft class. Evans started 15 games last season, but he had been relegated to a special teams role this year after the Vikings added veteran cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin.