Mike Evans' Replacement Emerging Ahead of Bucs OTAs - And It's Not Emeka Egbuka
The post-Mike Evans era in Tampa Bay was supposed to belong to Emeka Egbuka, or so it seemed.
Across 17 games, Egbuka finished with 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 63 catches, averaging 14.9 yards per reception. He led the Buccaneers in all three categories while ranking second among NFL rookie receivers in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.
The former first-round pick flashed elite playmaking ability during his rookie season, survived an injury-riddled receiver room, and looked like the natural heir to the Buccaneers' WR1 throne after Evans left for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
Instead, the Buccaneers may be building something far stranger, and potentially far more dangerous.
According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Tampa Bay's coaching staff is reporting that rookie third-round pick Ted Hurst may actually be the closest thing the franchise has to a true Mike Evans replacement.
Not Egbuka. Not veteran slot receiver Chris Godwin. Not explosive young weapon Tez Johnson.
Hurst.
“Ted has that rare size, speed, quickness — that combination that you have right there, kind of wrapped up into one body that everyone kind of looks for,” Tampa’s wide receivers coach Bryan McLendon told ESPN. “He’s got a lot of traits that we look for at the ‘X’ position, which is what Mike played, and we’ll just see how it all plays out.”
The Bucs' new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, also noted that he envisions Egbuka more as a “Z” receiver, while Hurst projects as a “true kind of X receiver” with a skill set similar to Evans.
Robinson praised Hurst's “great hands” and instincts, adding that “there's a lot to be excited about” the rookie third-rounder.
More news: LeSean McCoy Makes Bold Prediction About Shedeur Sanders' Browns Future
More news: Bengals Named ‘Trendy' Super Bowl Pick as Pressure Builds Around Joe Burrow
The former Georgia State star arrived in Tampa Bay with one of the more intriguing athletic profiles in the entire 2026 draft class.
At 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, Hurst ran a blazing 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine while posting an 11-foot-3 broad jump, the best among wide receivers, along with a 36.5-inch vertical leap.
Yet despite his elite measurables, Hurst slipped into the third round amid a loaded receiver class and questions surrounding his transition from smaller-school competition at Georgia State, ultimately falling right into Tampa Bay's lap at No. 84 overall.
He was coming off a breakout campaign in which he recorded 71 catches for 1,004 receiving yards and six touchdowns while averaging 14.1 yards per reception, earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors in the process.
More news: NFL's Seahawks-Patriots Week 1 Rematch Fuels New Mike Vrabel Theory
Evans' departure ended one of the defining eras in franchise history.
The six-time Pro Bowler spent 12 seasons terrorizing secondaries in Tampa Bay, recording 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons as the Bucs’ No. 1 option.
Since 2014, nearly 29% of Tampa Bay's passing touchdowns flowed through Evans, according to ESPN.
Yet instead of simply handing that lost production to Egbuka, last year's first-round pick, it appears Hurst may be the player positioned to benefit the most from Evans' departure.
And if Hurst develops into even a fraction of what Evans was, Tampa Bay may have quietly landed one of the biggest steals of the 2026 NFL Draft.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 2:24 PM.