With Mike Evans gone, Georgia State standout Ted Hurst is turning heads at training camp, earning comparisons to the franchise legend for his size, body control, and contested-catch ability.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of a youth movement at wide receiver.
After 12 magnificent seasons, Mike Evans is no longer a Buc. Evans left in free agency for the San Francisco 49ers, and how the other WRs replace his production will have a big say in how successful the team will be this season.
Everyone in Tampa's receiver room is being counted on to step up in Evans' absence. Aside from 30-year-old veteran Chris Godwin Jr., the Bucs' receivers are incredibly young.
Last year's first-round pick, Emeka Egbuka, is only 23. Egbuka has the talent and potential to become WR1 and will be given the bulk of the responsibility when it comes to filling Evans' shoes. After Egbuka and Godwin, who are Tampa's undisputed top two WRs, the Bucs have Jalen McMillan, 24, in his third season, second-year WR Tez Johnson, also 24, and rookie Ted Hurst, 22, atop the depth chart.
While all of Tampa's receivers are loaded with talent, the team will be asking a lot from an inexperienced group of mostly unproven players.
Even though he is only a rookie, Hurst is making quite an impression at training camp. Coming out of Georgia State, Hurst turned some heads at the Scouting Combine with his combination of size (6'4, 206 pounds) and speed (4.42 forty-yard dash).
Hurst has a bright future and is trying to earn a significant role as a rookie. He has been making a splash at training camp and is building chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Not only is Hurst earning the trust of his quarterback, but he also earned the best compliment a Bucs' WR can get.
According to Adam Slivon of Pewter Report, Hurst is beginning to remind people of Mike Evans.
"Mike-like"
In his listing of studs from Day 9 of the Bucs' training camp, Slivon includes Hurst. After making two great plays in the morning, Slivon calls Hurst "Mike-like" and specifically mentions his body control and winning a contested-catch situation on a fade to the back of the end zone.
"Squint just hard enough, and that No. 17 Ted Hurst wears begins to look more like the No. 13 that legendary wide receiver Mike Evans wore throughout his storied Bucs career. Hurst has a long way to go to reach Evans’ level, but the rookie wide receiver was “Mike-like” after he had two of the biggest plays all morning. His first catch was an instance where he ran a go route down the left sideline with cornerback Josh Hayes on him. Despite Hayes’ best efforts, Hurst displayed amazing body control to leap over him and haul it in as he fell on his back.
"Later on toward the end of practice, Hurst again bested one of Tampa Bay’s cornerbacks, using his 6-foot-4 height to his advantage by snagging a fade ball over Jacob Parrish for a touchdown in the back of the end zone. After a couple of practices where he failed to gain much attention, Hurst looked like the kind of 'X' receiver that can be an X-Factor this season."
Maybe it's a bit premature, but Hurst reminding anyone of Evans is a huge compliment. With McMillan missing the last few days of practice due to injury, Hurst was able to take advantage of the extra opportunities and was possibly the star of the day on Sunday, even with McMillan's return.
If Hurst can stack days like he had Sunday, it will be hard to keep him off the field once the real games begin. Both McMillan and Godwin missed significant time with injuries last season, and if either struggles with his health again in 2026, Hurst will likely see significant playing time.
The battle for Tampa's WR3 job is technically ongoing, though most believe the spot is McMillan's to lose. However, if Hurst continues to remind people of Evans, the competition will be a terrific one to watch over the remainder of camp.
Final Thoughts
Even with youngsters like Egbuka, McMillan, and Johnson already on the roster, Tampa was still enamored enough with Hurst's talent to make him its third-round pick. It looks like that investment is paying off, and Hurst is likely to become a fan favorite sooner rather than later.
Being compared to Evans in any way is the nicest thing that can be said about any Tampa receiver, let alone a rookie.
The Bucs may no longer have Evans, but they still have a deep group of talented receivers. Godwin is the veteran leader who has produced like a WR1 before and still could as long as he stays healthy.
All of Hurst, Egbuka, McMillan, and Johnson also have enormous potential. Hurst and Egbuka should become the future of the position for Tampa.
If Hurst's future looks anything like Evans' past, the Bucs' offense will be in great hands.
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