Bucs Drafting WR Round 1? Plus SR’s Draft Crushes

INTRO: The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away. I know some of you Bucs fans aren’t into the draft as much as others. Well, our 2025 Bucs draft coverage is coming to an end and we’ll have interviews with the Bucs assistant coaches and OTAs before you know it. For those of you that do like and follow the draft, this SR’s FAB 5 will surely entertain you. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Will The Bucs Draft A WR In Round 1?

The Bucs are considering drafting a wide receiver in the first round this year, and I can’t blame them. There was a time when the team didn’t have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or even Jalen McMillan in the lineup last year, and still Tampa Bay nearly upset the Chiefs at Kansas City on Monday Night Football before losing in overtime 30-24.

In the three games last year without both Godwin and Evans, who were both injured in a Week 7 loss to Baltimore, Tampa Bay was 0-3 and a 4-2 start dissolved into a 4-6 record at the bye week. General manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield saw what life was like with Sterling Shepard, Ryan Miller, Rakim Jarrett and Trey Palmer on the field at wide receiver – and it wasn’t pretty.

“Being a defensive coach, I learn that you win by scoring points,” Bowles said at the NFL Annual Meeting. “I don’t ever want to bypass a very good offensive player. I can figure things out enough on defense to keep us competitive. I would like to have some defensive players if that presented itself, but by no means will I bypass a very good offensive player just to satisfy my needs on defense.

“We can figure out how to keep the score down, but you can’t figure out a way to keep scoring points, especially if your horses go down. You can never have enough horses on offense. But, yes, I’d like to add some pieces [on defense] if that’s what you’re asking me, but whether they come in the first [round] or whether they come in the middle [rounds], remains to be seen.”

Adding another starting-caliber receiver in the draft will make the Bucs’ receiving corps even more deadly and four-deep. And drafting another quality receiver ensures continuity at the position into the future. Evans turns 32 in August and is entering a contract year. Godwin is coming off a dislocated ankle and signed a three-year extension, but he just turned 29.

The receiver the Bucs appear to be targeting in the first round – Texas’ Matthew Golden – seems to be special. Tampa Bay formally interviewed Golden at the NFL Scouting Combine and just recently had him in for an official 30 visit.

Golden, who lit it up at the Combine with a 4.29 time in the 40-yard dash, was the Longhorns’ leading receiver last year with 58 catches for 987 yards (17 avg.) and nine touchdowns after spending two years at Houston. He would certainly add a different dimension to the Bucs offense with his blazing speed.

Evans ran a 4.51 coming out of Texas A&M in 2014. Godwin ran a 4.42 in 2017 after his Penn State career concluded, but it’s doubtful he’s that fast after recent knee and ankle surgeries. McMillan was timed at 4.47 at the Combine last year, but no one on the Bucs roster can run like Golden except Palmer, who ran a 4.33, but fell out of favor with the team last year due to drops and route running.

Palmer is in jeopardy of being replaced this year, and to be honest, he’s just a sixth-round pick, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Golden battled top defensive talent in the Big 12 at Houston and the SEC at Texas and looks the part of being a starting receiver in the NFL.

He has an exceptional ability to track the ball and make not only contested catches, but also contorted catches as well due to his body control. Golden certainly plays bigger than his 5-foot-11, 191-pound frame, and his game and route running have plenty of nuance.

He had three catches for 77 yards (25.7 avg.) against Georgia during the regular season and then eight catches for 162 yards (20.3 avg.) in the SEC Championship Game. After two receptions for 49 yards in a win over Clemson in the first round of the playoffs, Golden went off against Arizona State in the second round. He had seven catches for 149 yards (21.3 avg.), including a touchdown on fourth-and-13 that took the game to overtime where the Longhorns won in double OT, 39-31.

Texas WR Matthew Golden – Photo by: USA Today

Other first-round options for the Bucs to consider include Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound Evans-type X receiver, and Missouri’s Luther Burden III, who at 6-foot, 206 pounds resembles Godwin. McMillan should be gone by the time Tampa Bay is on the clock at No. 19, but Golden and Burden should be there, in addition to Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka. I wish Egbuka was a more dynamic receiver, but he did grow on me during the Buckeye’s title run.

I’m not necessarily advocating that the Bucs draft a receiver in the first round. I would prefer a defensive player – notably Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku. But I can see the logic in drafting a receiver like Golden if he is rated higher than the remaining defensive players on the Bucs’ draft board when the team is on the clock.

“Yeah, we could always use receivers,” Licht said. “I think Todd even said, ‘You have to score points to win.’ You know, we’re fortunate to have those two (Evans and Godwin), and who knows how long they’ll play. It could be longer than what people are saying.

“And then kudos to our offense, our coaches, last year, for getting production out of Sterling Shepard and Jalen like you said, and Ryan Miller and those guys. We always want to try to keep that group fresh and look for the next ‘J-Mac’. We’re not going to overlook that position at all if everything falls that way for us.”

Here’s the only problem. Since 2011, the wide receiver position has produced the least amount of Pro Bowlers among players taken in the first round among all positions.

TE 64%
RB 61%
QB 51%
G-C 48%
DE-OLB 42%
ILB 41%
CB 35%
S 35%
DT 34%
OT 26%
WR 25%

So Mike Evans is the exception and not the rule. Be careful, Jason Licht.

FAB 2. I Have Loved So Many First-Round WR Busts Through The Years

As I just mentioned, wide receiver has the greatest chance to bust in the first round out of all the positions in football. A 25% hit rate when it comes to finding Pro Bowl-caliber receivers should make teams think twice when it comes to drafting the position in Round 1.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht is lauded for his ability to draft offensive linemen and defensive tackles, but also has a knack for drafting receivers. After all, he’s drafted the top two in franchise history in Mike Evans (first round, 2014) and Chris Godwin (third round, 2017). And Licht has found some other helpful receivers, such as Scotty Miller in the sixth round in 2019 and Jalen McMillan in the third round last year.

So we’ll trust that Licht finds another good one this year in whatever round Tampa Bay selects a receiver.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht has certainly been better at selecting receivers than I have over the years. I have loved several first-round wide receivers in my 30 years of covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And several of them were either busts or failed to live up to their draft status.

So in my moment of humility, I present to you some of my spectacular scouting failures.

Let’s start with the 2005 NFL Draft. Drafting Cadillac Williams – the third running back with the fifth overall pick – was incredibly bad draft value for Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen. Especially with Troy defensive end DeMarcus Ware, whom Monte Kiffin touted as “the next Simeon Rice” still available.

I didn’t like that Williams. I preferred Tampa native Mike Williams, who was a star receiver at USC. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Williams was a monster and was selected 10th overall by the Lions after he caught 176 passes for 2,579 yards (14.7 avg.) and 30 touchdowns in two seasons for the Trojans.

Former USC WR Mike Williams – Photo courtesy of USC Athletics

The Bucs would draft their own Mike Williams out of Syracuse in the third round in 2010 and he would prove to be better. It turns out the Williams I wanted in 2005 was immature and he turned into a spectacular bust. His NFL career lasted just five seasons and consisted of 127 catches for 1,526 yards (12 avg.) and five touchdowns.

In 2009, I loved Hakeem Nicks out of North Carolina and Kenny Britt out of Rutgers. Nicks was drafted at No. 29 by the Giants and Britt was selected at No. 30 by the Titans. The 6-foot, 210-pound Nicks had 68 catches for 1,222 yards (18 avg.) and 12 TDs for the Tar Heels, but didn’t sniff a Pro Bowl in New York. He finished his career with just over 5,000 yards and 31 TDs, but never had a 1,000-yard season.

Britt was a big target at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons playing for Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights where he averaged 17 yards per catch and totaled 15 touchdowns in his final two seasons. Britt’s best season came with the Rams in 2016 with 68 catches for 1,0002 yards and five TDs, but he never became a Pro Bowler.

The Rams drafted West Virginia’s Tavon Austin, “The Human Joystick,” with the eighth overall pick in 2013. Who didn’t love Austin, right? The electric receiver had 114 catches for 1,289 yards (11.3 avg.) and 12 TDs in his final season with the Mountaineers along with 72 carries 643 yards (8.9 avg.) and three rushing scores. Austin even had four kick returns for touchdowns and a punt return touchdown in college.

But at 5-foot-8, 179 pounds, Austin was too small to be an effective weapon. He lasted nine years in the league due to his special teams ability, evidenced by three career punt returns for a touchdowns. But never lived up to being a Top 10 pick.

Austin topped 500 receiving yards just once in his NFL career and totaled 244 catches for 2,239 yards (9.2 avg.) and 16 TDs in nine seasons, while rushing for 1,361 yards and 10 more scores.

Corey Coleman dominated at Baylor and I was really fond of the 5-foot-11, 190-pound speedster. So were the Browns, who selected him at No. 15 in the 2016 draft. Coleman had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including 74 catches for 1,363 (18.4 avg.) with 20 touchdowns in his final year with the Bears.

Coleman’s NFL career lasted just three seasons, and he finished with 61 catches for 789 yards (12.9 avg.) and five scores.

Former Washington WR John Ross – Photo courtesy of Washington athletics

Who didn’t love Washington’s John Ross, who was one of the most explosive receivers in college football history? Ross had 81 catches for 1,150 yards (14.2 avg.) and 17 TDs along with eight carries 102 yards (12.8 avg.) and a touchdown in his final season with the Huskies. Ross also had 3 kick returns for touchdowns in college.

After running an NFL-record 4.22 at the NFL Scouting Combine, the Bengals made this can’t-miss 5-foot-11, 188-pound receiver the ninth overall pick. Yet Ross only topped 500 yards once in his six-year NFL career and has just 63 catches for 963 yards (15.3 avg.) and 11 touchdowns and can’t stay healthy.

After being out of football since 2021, Ross made a comeback last year at age 29 with the Eagles. He played in one game and caught one pass for six yards.

Then there was Arkansas’ Treylon Burks in 2022. The Titans drafted the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder with the No. 18 overall pick after he caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards (16.7 avg.) and 11 TDs.

Burks can’t stay healthy and has had just 53 receptions for 699 yards (13.2 avg.) and one TD in three years in Tennessee. The first-round bust had just four catches for 34 yards (8.5 avg.) last year starting two games and playing in a total of five.

I’ve loved all kinds of receivers – from big, physical monsters to blazing fast speedsters. All of them were very productive 1,000-yard receivers and touchdown machines in college.

I’ve also loved plenty of first-round receivers who have turned out to be pretty good, including Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. (2024), Chicago’s Rome Odunze (2024) and Baltimore’s Zay Flowers (2023) most recently. But this just goes to show that for whatever reason, drafting wide receivers in the first round can be a very hit-and-miss proposition – with more misses than one would expect.

FAB 3. SR’s 2025 Draft Crushes: Offense

In this week’s Pewter Report Roundtable, the Pewter Reporters listed our 2025 draft crushes, and mine was Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku. But there are plenty of other draft crushes I have developed through the scouting process over the past year that I’ll share with you. Even though I’m a defensive-minded football fan, I do like some offensive players.

Penn State TE Tyler Warren – Photo by: USA Today

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren tops my list. The dude plays like Rob Gronkowski and had 17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown in a 33-30 OT win over USC. Incredible player, who also lines up as a Wildcat QB.

I also appreciate Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr.’s game. He had 117 catches for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns in an incredible year for the Falcons. Fun player to watch, even with his awkward running style.

I’m a big fan of the top three receivers – Texas’ Matthew Golden, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Missouri’s Luther Burden III. Golden reminds me a bit of Antonio Brown as a receiver. I love big, rangy receivers like McMillan, and Burden is smooth and explosive with the ball in his hands.

I also really like Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel, Ole Miss’ Tre Harris, UNLV’s Ricky White and Memphis’ Roc Taylor. Noel is a shifty, speedy slot receiver. Harris glides on the field and is a big-play threat. White has a great overall game and is a leader and was stud special teams player, even as a senior. Taylor is a big, physical target with sneaky speed and a knack for getting open.

Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo is an incredible running back and so much fun to watch. He willed the Sun Devils to several victories and plays with so much heart. At 5-foot-9, 219 pounds he’s like a mini-Mike Alstott with how he bounces off defenders. Skattebo ran for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns and had 45 catches for 605 yards (13.4 avg.) and three TDs.

Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo – Photo by: USA Today

I also love UCF’s compact running back R.J. Harvey, who is a faster version of Bucky Irving. He had back-to-back seasons with more than 1,400 yards and totaled 38 rushing TDs over the last two years.

I am a big fan of SMU’s Brashard Smith, a converted wide receiver. At 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, Smith ran for 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and caught 41 passes for 337 yards and four TDs.

Syracuse’s LeQuint Allen is a hard-charging, 1,000-yard running back with exceptional hands, evidenced by 64 catches for 521 yards last year. He totaled 20 touchdowns, including 16 on the ground, in 2024, and has a wicked hurdle move.

I didn’t do much scouting of offensive linemen or quarterback this year because the Bucs are flush at those positions. But as a K-Stater, I’m hoping that QB Will Howard, who started at Kansas State and then won a national championship at Ohio State succeeds at the next level.

FAB 4. SR’s 2025 Draft Crushes: Defense

Admittedly, I spent more time watching defensive prospects than offensive prospects this year, but I don’t have the time or the space to name them all.

Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku is at the top of my list. With 16.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles last year – yes, please. The guy’s character is off the charts, too.

Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku – Photo courtesy of BC athletics

I love Marshall edge rusher Mike Green the player, and his 17 sacks. But I’m not sure about Mike Green the person with the sexual assault allegations in his past in high school and college.

I want to like Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen more than I do, but I worry if he’s too much of a finesse player. I also didn’t like his demeanor in the Senior Bowl practices, but I do like his tape as a sack artist.

I’m late on UCLA edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo. I discovered him at the Senior Bowl like many others where he just wowed during the week in Mobile and had two sacks in the Senior Bowl. One of my favorite interviews and I think he’s an absolute sleeper with a big upside.

I wish Virginia Tech Antwaun Powell-Ryland was more athletic, but I love his production (16 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, three sacks last year). And I wish that Oklahoma State’s Collin Oliver was bigger (6-2, 240) and didn’t miss as many tackles as he does because he’s a fast, bendy stud pass rusher who will be a Day 3 steal for someone.

Michigan’s Mason Graham, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen and Toledo’s Darius Alexander are my type of penetrating defensive tackles. I’ve also grown fond of Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott thanks to his dominance at the Senior Bowl, and Josh Queipo turned me on to Indiana’s CJ West, whose tape is a fun watch.

South Carolina’s Tonka Hemingway and Louisville’s Thor Griffith round out my defensive tackle draft crushes. I think both will make a team happy on Day 3.

I’ll admit it. I’m not the biggest fan of Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell. I think he’s good, but I wonder if he’ll be a great linebacker at the next level. There are a lot of linebackers I like, but don’t love this year, including South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr., Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa, Clemson’s Barrett Carter and Oklahoma State’s Nickolas Martin.

Oklahoma State ILB Nickolas Martin – Photo by: USA Today

Two of my favorite linebackers are players the Bucs haven’t shown much interest in – Ole Miss’ Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. and Ohio State’s Cody Simon. I really wish Iowa’s Jay Higgins was a better athlete. What a great college linebacker he is.

At cornerback, who doesn’t love Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Texas’ Jahdae Barron, right? I’m a big fan of East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. and a pair of ballhawks in Cal’s Nohl Williams and Kansas’ Cobee Bryant.

I’m fond of Ole Miss’ Trey Amos, K-State’s Jacob Parrish and Louisville’s Quincy Riley, too. UTSA’s Zah Frazier intrigues me at 6-foot-3, with a sub 4.4 time and six interceptions last year.

At safety, Georgia’s Malaki Starks and Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. are the top two for me. Neither makes many mental mistakes. Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts has great ball awareness and is an interception waiting to happen.

I get the hype with South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori, and he’s a freak at 6-foot-3, 227 pounds. I just wish he had a more complete game to him. He might be more athlete than football player.

Virginia’s Jonas Sanker, Ohio State’s Jordan Hancock and K-State’s Marques Sigle offer versatility and will be Day 3 surprises for the teams that draft them.

FAB 5. Bucs’ 1995 Draft Is Still The Best – And Probably Always Will Be

As good as general manager Jason Licht is when it comes to drafting, the best Bucs draft is still the 1995 draft. As the team put out on social media this week, Tampa Bay is the only team to draft a pair of Pro Football Hall of Famers in the first round of the same draft. Of course those two Hall of Famers are none other than defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who was selected with the No. 12 overall pick, and linebacker Derrick Brooks, who was drafted at No. 28 after the team traded back up into the first round with the Dallas Cowboys.

That draft was led by head coach Sam Wyche and general manager Rich McKay back in 1995 and helped lay the foundation for the epic turnaround of the Bucs franchise that truly began a year later with the arrival of head coach Tony Dungy and his coaching staff. Sapp and Brooks joined forces with Pro Bowl linebacker Hardy Nickerson and strong safety John Lynch, who were already on the team, to help lead Tampa Bay to the playoffs in 1997 – 15 years after the franchise’s last playoff appearance in 1983.

Bucs Hall of Fame DT Warren Sapp – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In case you’re curious, the Bucs also spent a second-round pick on Kentucky safety Melvin Johnson in the second round, Southern cornerback Jerry Wilson in the fourth round, Florida State cornerback Clifton Abraham in the fifth round, Clemson linebacker Wardell Rouse in the sixth round, and offensive tackle Steve Ingram and Texas A&M-Kingsville defensive end Jeff Rodgers in the seventh round. None of those players really panned out, but it doesn’t really matter. The sheer star power of Sapp and Brooks alone made the 1995 draft the most successful in team history.

Licht has drafted a future Hall of Famer in wide receiver Mike Evans with his first-ever pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. And it sure looks like offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who was the team’s first-round pick in 2020, is also on a path to Canton with four straight Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro selections. If safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who has a Pro Bowl and an All-Pro honor to his credit, can return to his stellar form in 2025, he could also be on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

Wirfs and Winfield were both drafted in 2020, with Winfield being Tampa Bay’s second-round pick. It’s doubtful that the Bucs will ever draft two Hall of Famers in the first round ever again, but it’s possible that Licht and Co. could have a pair of Hall of Famers from the same draft class if Wirfs and Winfield continue to play at a very high level and continue to get league-wide recognition for doing so.

We’ll see in time how many potential Hall of Famers Licht and his staff will ultimately draft. But it’s hard to beat the 1995 one-two punch of Sapp and Brooks in the first round.