When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their third-round draft pick to select wide receiver Ted Hurst out of Georgia State, there was plenty of excitement about what the rookie could bring to the offense, and rightfully so.
Hurst is a prototypical X receiver standing at 6-foot-4 who was one of college football’s most explosive big-play threats. His catch radius and contested catch ability were frequently praised, creating hope that he could help fill the void left by Mike Evans’ departure.
Hurst had an incredible training camp and looked like a potential immediate contributor to the Bucs’ offense. But through eight weeks, he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype.
Ted Hurst hasn’t made the immediate impact the Buccaneers hoped for
Hurst has recorded 11 receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown, averaging out to one catch for 21 yards per game.
He’s been targeted 24 times, meaning he’s converted only about 46% of his targets, the lowest of any player on the Buccaneers. That's not all on him -- as not every target results in a catchable ball, but it's still notable that he's the team's only offensive player catching less than half of his targets.
Hurst's lack of production isn’t the biggest concern, though. After all, the entire Buccaneers passing attack has been disappointing as a whole, ranking dead last in the NFL with only 131 yards per game.
What’s more concerning is that his sure hands in the red zone and contested-catch ability haven't transferred to the regular season as advertised. Hurst has had multiple opportunities to make big plays, but hasn’t capitalized..
Two examples immediately come to mind: a potential game-winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 that went right through his hands, or a perfect pass that he allowed to be broken up on a would-be touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons last week.
Both of those games were played in suboptimal weather conditions, which is important context. Still, Hurst needs to find a way to convert these opportunities into catches, especially when potential touchdowns are on the line.
Pro Football Focus currently ranks him as the NFL's No. 76 wide receiver out of only 79 players, so he's grading near the bottom of his position.
It's still way too early to give up on Ted Hurst
Hurst has played a very limited role in a run-heavy offense, and he’s still only eight games into his NFL career. The sample size is far too small to make any sweeping judgements about his long-term potential.
But for his role to increase, he needs to gain the trust of Baker Mayfield and the coaching staff by taking advantage of the opportunities that do come his way, and so far, he hasn’t done that consistently enough.
This isn’t me giving up on Hurst by any means. He’s shown flashes, and I believe he can develop into this team’s WR1 down the line. But when it comes to being an immediate contributor, Hurst hasn’t proven to be ready for a featured role just yet.
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