Grading the pick: Bucs fill void in a talented WR room with WR Ted Hurst in the third round
Tampa Bay need an infusion of size into their wide receiver room after Mike Evans’ departure, and they checked that box on Friday night.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers flipped from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive one in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
After trading down from 77 to 84 and picking up pick No. 160 (fifth round) from Green Bay, the Bucs tabbed Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst.
Ted Hurst scouting report
Age: 21
School: Georgia State
Projection: Eventual good starter
Georgia State Panthers wide receiver Ted Hurst is one of the biggest winners out of the 2026 NFL Draft process. Hurst entered the winter with questions about his level of competition, but promptly shone at the Senior Bowl and also excelled at the NFL Combine. Hurst is an effective run-after-catch threat despite his 6-foot-4 stature, and he’s got length and ball skills to attack the football down the field. The ultimate dictators of Hurst’s early career impact on an offense will be how well he handles press and collisions in the contact window and how well he can build off his vertical speed to run more precise routes that break to daylight in the middle of the field. If he can use his tall, long frame to manufacture free releases against NFL competition, look out, he’s got the makings of a productive starter.
kyle crabbs
A to Z Sports NFL
Final grade
Honestly, shooting from the hip here, I was a bit down on this pick at first. I was hoping other needs would be addressed before wide receiver, and I noted before that I would consider it a shock — but one that could happen — to take a wide receiver before Day 3.
But after quick reflection, adding Hurst was a pick that made a lot of sense from the perspective of bringing in a big body with a lot of upside. The Bucs have a strong group of wideouts, but they lack the size with Mike Evans off to San Francisco.
At 6-4, 206 pounds, Hurst checks that box. He blazed a 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine and posted a 36.5-inch vertical jump and a whopping 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump. The athleticism is real.
He’s got the hands, the size, and the speed to make an impact. Can the Bucs coach him to be a crisp route runner and get the most out of that talent? If so, then Hurst could ultimately end up being one of the sleepers out of a large group of pass catchers to already hear their names called in the first two days of this draft.
Grade: A-
