TAMPA, Fla. -- Even with last year's mid-season turnaround on defense, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed an impact safety. They believe they found one in Texas A&M's Justin Evans, whom they selected in the second round and hope can push for a starting role right away.

"He’s a big hitter, he’s a tough guy, he’s smart," said general manager Jason Licht. "[He] just kept growing on us more and more. He’s not afraid to stick his head in there, that’s for sure."

Evans and his fellow rookies are set to arrive in Tampa on Thursday for the start of rookie minicamp, which runs Friday through Sunday. That will be Licht's first look at him in a Bucs uniform, in a position that was a priority this offseason. In addition to drafting Evans, they signed J.J. Wilcox as a free agent to help a defense that allowed explosive plays throughout much of the season.

Texas A&M's Justin Evans didn't give up a pass play of 14 yards or more in the Aggies' final nine games according to Pro Football Focus. Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

"He’s rangy," Licht said of Evans. "He makes a lot of plays on the ball, he plays with a lot of anticipation."

Pro Football Focus ranked Evans as the third-best among FBS safeties in 2016, noting that he didn't give up a pass play of 14 yards or more in the Aggies' final nine games. But they also ranked him 210th in run-stopping among all FBS safeties, which is an area in need of improvement.

He also had 38 missed tackles in two seasons, and ranked 219th in tackling efficiency among FBS safeties last season.

"I had a lot of missed tackles so that will be one of my main focuses, is being a better pursuit tackler," Evans said. "I know if I do that then my game will go even higher, so that’ll definitely be the main part.

"I’m just coming in with a humble mindset, working hard, learning the scheme, the playbook ... I definitely view myself as a starter.”

Missed tackles and being overly aggressive aren't uncommon for young safeties. It's a game involving precise angles, and sometimes they're misjudged. Players will also vacate a position on the field when trying to make a play, and sometimes that can backfire. They can be prone to getting sucked up by play-action, and NFL quarterbacks are exceptional at fooling defenses.

"He does get a little over-aggressive but I’ll take that any day versus a guy that’s not aggressive," said Licht, who praised the former juco product for his leadership and work ethic, believing he's got the right makeup for their locker room.

"Football just means everything to him. He’s very passionate. He’s got an edge to him when he’s on the field [and] in practice," Licht said. "Everything checked the boxes for us. He’s our kind of guy. He’s the right kind of guy."