Texas A&M safety Justin Evans is reportedly rising up draft boards and could make his way into the first round of next week’s NFL draft, sources told Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.

According to Pauline, Evans has garnered interest from the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons, both of whom will select late in the opening round.

Dallas, who is currently set to pick at No. 28 overall, lost two safeties in free agency – starter Barry Church and occasional stater J.J. Wilcox – making it a top draft need.

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Atlanta re-signed Kemal Ishmael this offseason, but looks to switch him to linebacker. Pauline believes Evans would be an upgrade over current starter Ricardo Allen, as well as a nice complement to last year’s first-round pick, Keanu Neal.

The analyst also compared Evans to All-Pro safety Earl Thomas, who flourished in Falcons head coach Dan Quinn’s scheme when he served as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator.

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