The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made one of the best picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, snagging top edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 15 overall pick when he was initially expected to be a top five player in the draft class based on talent and what he did in college for the Miami Hurricanes.
Bain Jr. is immediately expected to be the Bucs best pass rusher, but he's not not the only newcomer on Dale Mabry who looks slated to make an early impact with the upside to become a major star at Raymond James Stadium.
That other player would be the Bucs third round pick, wide receiver Ted Hurst. A small school prospect out of Georgia State, Hurst is such a size and speed demon with crazy fluidity and more advanced route running expected at OTAs that even people beyond the state of Florida are raving about him.
Ted Hurst is impressing everyone
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport concocted a list of the best rookie standouts at OTAs who are starting to establish themselves as early draft day steals, and, lo and behold, Mr. Ted Hurst made yet another list hyping up his raw tools.
Whlie Davenport and others caution against weighing too heavy expectations on the young wide receiver before his first season in the NFL, the step up in competition does not seem to be worrying his peers, who are also full of praise for the 6'4" X wide receiver.
There is real optimism that Jason Licht has potentially unearthed the long term heir to Mike Evans, so while there are those outside the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sphere who are concerned about Baker Mayfield's weapon and their inexperience without the future Hall of Famer, Bucs fans are actually evne more excited to see Mayfield in 2026 because of the sheer depth of explosive options he will have at his disposal.
No young wide receiver coming into the NFL this season is generating as much buzz right now as Hurst, even comparing him to other talented first year standouts the Bucs were looking at like David Boston's son Denzel over in Cleveland. Hurst may have been a no name to many fans before the 2026 NFL Draft, but, now, word of his talent is spreading beyond the Bay Area. There's a real chance Hurst fights for snaps in the top three of the wide receiver rotation as the 2026 season rolls on.
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