Buccaneers Leadership Excited About WR Hurst
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t replace Mike Evans.
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Evans, the leading receiver in franchise history by a wide margin, moved on after 12 seasons with the team this offseason, signing a three-year, $20 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
But with Evans moved on, the Bucs must move forward, and they attempted to do that with their third-round pick in last month’s draft.
A lot of college football fans, even hardcore ones, didn’t know the name Ted Hurst. Hurst started his college career at Division II Valdosta State, where he played the 2022 and ‘23 seasons, then transferred to Georgia State, a small DI program.
In an era where small school studs are routinely poached by the big boys, Hurst stayed at Georgia State, and became a dominant receiver.
The 6-foot-4, 206-pounder caught 127 passes for 15 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards over his two seasons at Georgia State, and the Bucs liked him enough to take him at pick No. 84.
General manager Jason Licht and company weren’t the only fans of the move. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., known as the “draft guru,” described Hurst as an “end zone magnet.”
In the moments following Tampa’s selection of Hurst, Booger McFarland, who was analyzing the draft for ESPN, pointed out how well he performed in the Senior Bowl this past February.
After this past weekend’s rookie minicamp, Bucs’ coach Todd Bowles told reporters what he liked about Hurst.
(He has) great size, very good athlete, obviously,” Bowles said. “He’s got to get used to the heat a little bit himself. Even though he’s from Georgia, he’s got to get used to the heat a little bit.”
The good news for Hurst on the weather front is that football is played mainly in the fall and winter.
Getting a big-bodied receiver was essential for the Bucs because that’s what Evans was.
At 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, Evans’ physicality is a big reason why he could end up in the Hall of Fame one day.
Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCarthy knows that Hurst can’t replace Evans, but that doesn’t mean the Bucs can’t look for similar qualities.
“You do try to replace his size and speed, which Mike had,” McCartney said. “I think Ted has that, too.
Hurst ran a 4.42 at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this past February, which is faster than the average receiver.
Another thing that stuck out to McCartney was that Hurst was talented enough to play at the Power Four level, but instead stuck with Georgia State.
“He had opportunities to go to bigger schools with all the NIL stuff and stayed loyal to Georgia State, which is kind of refreshing in this day and age that guys choose to stay sometimes,” McCartney said.
With Hurst in the fold, Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Emeka Egbuka and seventh-round surprise Tez Johnson entering their second years, Jalen McMillan healthy and veteran Chris Godwin still in the picture, the Bucs have the potential to make some noise at receiver, even without Evans.
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