Even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their greatest wide receiver in franchise history in Mike Evans, who decided to join the San Francisco 49ers and Brock Purdy instead, the Buccaneers have to look at the overall make up of their wide receiver room and actually think that they can be even better at the position than they were last season.
Not only were Evans and other key players like Chris Godwin Jr. injured, but a lot of professional sports is about predicting the future rather than dwelling on the past. As the second half of the season showed, Evans was still very important to the Buccaneer offense, and yet even his return did not materially help the Bucs in the standings. Plus, Evans had his time, and now it is time for Jalen McMillan, second year breakout stud Emeka Egbuka, and the rest of the up and coming crew to shine.
But maybe the player the Buccaneers faithful are most excited to see on the field this season is an entirely unkown commodity in a small school, third round rookie sleeper, Georgia State product Ted Hurst.
Ted Hurst keeps turning heads
The immediate No. 4 wide receiver after Godwin, Egbuka, and McMillan, Hurst has received more hype than anyone, even Rueben Bain Jr., at rookie minicamp, and his size and speed combination already has Bucs fans feeling like Jason Licht found another explosive offensive gem.
And now, the Ted Hurst hype train is only gaining even more momentum. Because according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, not only is Hurst looking "good" during the practice sessions, but the third round rookie wide receiver is also showing positives in terms of how well he is picking up the offense and adjusting to an NFL level defense.
That is, no doubt, the biggest factor and a major, major reason to buy Hurst's stocks. Because the size, speed, athleticism, fluidity, and overall raw package is what you can't teach and what got Licht and the Bucs to buy high on Hurst and steal him away from under the noses of the rest of the NFL during the 2026 draft.
But what probably made Licht really sold on Hurst as a future star in the Bucs offense is the mental aptitude and all that the other teams missed, maybe because the Bucs got to know him better. If Licht is right about Hurst's ability to transition from a small school to the NFL and pick up all the nuances, then this is a guy who can be an immediate game changer even as a rookie.
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