Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht knew he had to have a stellar 2026 NFL Draft, and while drafts are obviously not won on paper and Bucs fans still need to see the new crew out there in regular season games this season, so far, the Bucs rookies look as brilliant as advertised in the offseason workouts and preseason.
Rueben Bain Jr., his Miami Hurricanes teammate Keionte Scott, and NFL legacy star Josiah Trotter are going to be one beastly trio on the defensive side of the ball that Licht so desperately needed to upgrade this offseason, but he also had to have a strong draft on offense. And even though he only went with two skill position guys for Baker Mayfield, both of them look like two of the big steals of the draft in their respective positions.
Ted Hurst has obviously been drawing rave reviews at the wide receiver position, and from the moment Jason Licht drafted this stud athlete from Georgia State in the third round, Buccaneers fans were already thinking about comparisons to Mike Evans.
Bauer Sharp can get real snaps as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie
Hurst will have a huge opportunity with Emeka Egbuka currently hobbled by what could be a pretty tricky toe injury, but he isn't the only new face among the rookies to impress star quarterback Baker Mayfield as he looks to have a monster season with an expiring contract to his name.
Rookie tight end Bauer Sharp was a sixth-round flier out of LSU few thought about, and he certainly did not receive a fraction of the pre-draft hype that Kenyon Sadiq - a popular mock to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the draft - or even Ohio State Buckeye Max Klare did.
But Sharp is still turning heads this preseason, looking secure on the catches he made in Week 1 while dazzling in practice workouts, and then he has also been phenomenal for Mayfield and the ground game as a blocker.
Ted Hurst is a headline maker for the Buccaneers offense with his size and speed, as well as his better hands than advertised, but even after keeping Cade Otton with a new contract in free agency, the Bucs have still been looking for a reliable No. 2 tight end. Sharp is turning the conversation from making the roster to how many snaps and targets he will get as a high upside rookie in this Zac Robinson offense.
Add us as a preferred source on Google