The Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year drafted two receivers who have already become key contributors, but this year, the Bucs lost a franchise cornerstone when Mike Evans, the best wideout in team history, left Tampa in free agency to sign with the San Francisco 49ers.

Tampa Bay will make its first selection on opening night at this year's draft, with the No. 15 pick, on Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh. The team owns seven picks this year, including three in the top 100.

As the NFL draft nears, BucsRoundtable is taking a closer look at a range of prospects that might jell with Tampa Bay's current roster, coaching staff, and the team's X's and O's strategies.

BucsRoundtable's Jeremy Ballreich and Joe Smeltzer offer observations and analysis of offensive role players likely to be a focal point for Tampa Bay, and our draft profiles feature offensive linemen like Penn State's Vega Ioane, as well as center Trey Zuhn III out of Texas A&M; tight end Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon; and Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst.  

Our analysts also profile top defensive talent that might interest the Buccaneers, including defensive ends Cashius Howell from Texas A&M and Miami Hurricane Akheem Mesidor, as well as elite linebackers like Indiana's Aiden Fisher and Georgia's CJ Allen.

As the Bucs add depth in their secondary, available star prospects include cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun out of Ohio State, Arizona's Treydan Stukes, South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter and Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker and Missouri DT Chris McClellan.

Here, we take a closer look at Texas Tech receiver Reggie Virgil.

Reggie Virgil's calling card is his big-play ability. At Miami of Ohio in 2024, he averaged nearly 20 yards per catch, and totaled five receptions of 50 yards or more. This caught the attention of Texas Tech, where Virgil transferred to play for in 2025.

Although his yards-per-catch decreased to 12.4 in 2025, that was because the Red Raider offense put Virgil in plays in which his targets would be more contested, which made for fewer big plays.

For the first two seasons of his college career, not many people knew who Virgil was.

Virgil played in 23 games for Miami over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but combined for just 60 yards on two catches.

Then, 2024 happened.

Virgil caught 41 passes for 816 yards and nine touchdowns, helping Miami to a MAC Championship Game appearance. His 2024 production put Virgil on the Power-4 radar, and Texas Tech took advantage.

Virgil's numbers went down at Texas Tech. He had 16 more receptions than he did the previous year, but 111 fewer yards and three fewer TDs.

As Virgil adjusted to the physicality of Big 12 play, an ensemble cast of playmakers (Virgil was one of four pass catchers who totaled more than 600 yards), and Texas Tech's offense was centered on rushing. (Cameron Dickey and J'Koby Williams combined for more than 2,000 yards rushing).

Virgil is known for his route-running ability and his awareness of spacing against zone coverage, both of which helped lead to his explosive play numbers at Miami of Ohio. Per Pro Football Focus, Virgil had 214 yards after catch in his lone season at Texas Tech and 211 in 2024 at Miami.

Virgil is roughly 6-foot-3 and 187 pounds, which is slightly undersized for an NFL wideout. Although Virgil is a solid route runner overall, scouts have noticed he tends to slow down on deep routes, which NFL DBs will quickly and easily pick up on. Virgil's blocking ability remains underdeveloped. Although he is able to position himself, his frame makes it hard for him to sustain a block.

At this year's NFL combine in Indianapolis, Virgil ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, which is considered slightly below average. He also had a 36-inch vertical jump, which is right around the norm for his position, and a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump, which is slightly above average.

The Mock Draft Database has Virgil as the 194th overall prospect, projecting him to go in the sixth round. None of the mocks accumulated for the database -- which include mocks from outlets such as The Athletic and USA Today -- has Virgil going to the Bucs.

Even without Mike Evans, the Bucs have a bevy of talented receivers in Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Emeka Egbuka, who is going into Year 2, along with fellow 2025 pick Tez Johnson and Jalen McMillan, who is going into Year 3.

The Bucs also will rely on Chris Godwin Jr., who is entering his 10th season with the team and is the second-leading receiver in franchise history.

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