The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to land one of the best value picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they selected Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson (who was projected by many to be selected within the first 100 picks) with the 235th overall pick in the order.
Johnson, the younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback and former Oregon teammate Bo Nix, comes to a Tampa Bay team that is already loaded at wide receiver after taking Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka in the first round. However, he still has an outside shot of making the final roster.
GM Jason Licht may have delegated the responsibility of drafting Johnson to a very unusual source. Instead of leaning on his scouts or assistant GMs when making this pick, it looks like his son, Theo Licht, may have been able to get in his dad's head with this pick.
Licht claims that Johnson, a Troy transfer who recorded over 2,000 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns in his two seasons with the Ducks, was his son's favorite player in the draft. Perhaps the Johnson pick could be a referendum on how well-equipped Theo is to follow in his father's footsteps. Let's see how good that scouting eye is.
Buccaneers selected Jason Licht's son's favorite player in Tez Johnson
The Bucs have the unique distinction of having added the lightest and heaviest players in the NFL during this Draft, as they brought on the 154-pound Johnson before adding a player who tips the scales at well over 400 pounds in former Florida defensive tackle Desmond Watson.
Had Johnson weighed even a more reasonable 180 pounds, there is a very good chance he ends up on Day 2 due to is tremendous speed, agility, and skill at creating with the ball in his hands. It's clear to see why Theo was so interested in bringing him into Tampa Bay's offensive scheme.
However, Johnson is quite literally a historically small player. It doesn't take a genius to see that someone his size is going to have some difficulties getting open at the line of scrimmage and faces severe durability concerns when he takes an NFL-level beating.
In an age where Brick Johnson is using Madden ratings to influence the Jets' moves, Carson Schoen is teasing Jaxson Dart's selection the day before it happens, and Jax Ulbrich is "pranking" Shedeur Sanders, Bucs fans should hope Theo can influence this roster in a positive way.