The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have 1 position that stands above all others in terms of uncertainty in 2026. That position is wide receiver.
The newest component in that mix — and the biggest wild card — seems to be 2026 3rd-round pick (No. 84 overall) Ted Hurst, a 6-foot-4, 206-pound wide receiver who tormented lower-level competition at Georgia State the last 2 seasons.
The Athletic singled Hurst out as one of its “favorite picks” in the entire 2026 draft.
“It’s one thing to make Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list; it’s another to be a productive ‘Freak,’ ” The Athletic’s Dan Pompei wrote. “Hurst was a productive Freak with 127 catches for 1,965 yards in his last two seasons, though he did not play against elite defenses at Georgia State. He probably won’t have the kind of quick impact that Emeka Ebuka did last year, but that’s OK because the Bucs are loaded at wide receiver. He shouldn’t be looked at as a replacement for Mike Evans, but he might be looked at as a down-the-line lineup replacement for 30-year-old Chris Godwin, depending on how long Godwin plays.”
Hurst Played 1st 2 Seasons on NCAA Division II Level
Hurst, a Savannah, Georgia, native, spent the 1st 2 seasons of his college career at NCAA Division II powerhouse Valdosta State before transferring to Georgia State.
At Georgia State, Hurst stepped in and became the team’s WR1 from Day 1, racking up 127 receptions for 1,965 yards and 15 touchdowns in 24 games over the last 2 seasons.
The NFL scouting combine helped Hurst solidify his draft stock after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds to go with a 36.5-inch vertical leap. His 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump was the best of any wide receiver at the combine.
“NFL Draft analysts agree with the round three selection of Hurst based on his pre-draft evaluation,” Heavy’s Chris Lewis wrote on April 24. “PFF ranked him as the 97th best prospect in the draft. He received an 82.1 receiving grade. While he had a poor drop rate of 9%, he did well against man coverage (71.7 grade) and had a great contested catch rate of 59.3%.”
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Hurst as a 2nd round pick.
“Hurst is a small-school prospect with elite traits who turned a lot of NFL decision-makers’ heads with his strong showing against higher-caliber defensive backs at the Senior Bowl and sensational testing numbers at the combine,” The Ringer’s Todd McShay wrote in his pre-draft evaluation.
Buccaneers Enter New Era at Wide Receiver
The Buccaneers lost 1 of the NFL’s greatest wide receivers of all time in free agency when Mike Evans, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, left for a 3-year, $42.4 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Evans set the NFL record with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his career, which also tied former 49ers legend Jerry Rice for the NFL record of most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
In 2025, Evans missed a career-high 9 games with a hamstring injury and a broken collarbone and registered career lows across the board with 30 receptions for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns.
With Evans gone, the pressure will be on a trio of veterans in Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan to pick up the slack, as well as tight end Cade Otton.
Were Hurst to make any sort of impact it might mean the difference in the Buccaneers returning to the playoffs following an 8-9 record in 2025, as they missed the postseason for the 1st time since 2019.
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