Grading Buccaneers' Third Round Pick of Georgia State's Ted Hurst

Through the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already made improvements to key positions on the defensive side of the ball with their selections of Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. in Round 1 (15th overall) and Missouri LB Josiah Trotter in Round 2 (46th).

In round three, the Bucs held the 77th overall selection until they made a trade with the Green Bay Packers, swapping the 77th overall pick for 84 in the third round and 160 in the fifth round.

Unlike their first two picks, there was significantly more intrigue regarding which position the Buccaneers would look to add with their third-round pick.

The Bucs could easily have looked to stick with the defensive side of the ball, targeting a defensive tackle, cornerback, or even another edge rusher. But after already drafting two defensive players, positions like tight end, offensive guard and wide receiver remained very realistic possibilities as well.

When push came to shove, though, the Buccaneers' GM went with the highest-rated player on his board, which in this case was a wide receiver.

Buccaneers select Wide Receiver Ted Hurst in Round 3

Ted Hurst is a 6-3, 206-pound wide receiver from Georgia State with exceptional athleticism and impressive production. Despite playing in a smaller conference, Hurst put up serious numbers throughout his collegiate career. In his final season in 2025, Hurst was a First-Team All-Sun Belt player and 1 of just 4 players in all of FBS to record 950+ receiving yards over the last two seasons.

Hurst loves the endzone, and he set a Georgia State record with nine receiving TDs in 2024. In his two seasons at Georgia State, Hurst amassed 1,965 receiving yards to go along with 15 total TDs.

With this selection, Hurst becomes the highest drafted player in the history of Georgia State football.

Bucs selection of Ted Hurst earns a B+

Hurst is a tremendous athlete and a player who fills the prototypical X receiver role vacated by Mike Evans' unexpected departure. He has great length, tremendous speed and exceptional leaping ability, all of which contributed to his knack for finding the endzone in college.

Hurst is so athletic, in fact, that he's a bit of an outlier. According to his Relative Athletic Score of 9.90, Hurst ranks 41st out of 4196 wide receivers evaluated for their athleticism since 1987.

Ted Hurst was drafted in round 3 with pick 84 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.90 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 41 out of 4196 WR from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/v6G6ikxoWO pic.twitter.com/gMwOfYHN9j
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

Although receiver was not the Buccaneers' most pressing need, it's obvious that Jason Licht and his team identified Hurst as the highest-rated player on their board at this point in the draft. And despite the fact that the Bucs already have a really solid cast of wide receivers, the reality is that none of them are as well-suited to occupy the true X receiver role that Hurst is capable of playing.

Not only that, but Hurst has an extremely high ceiling based on his athletic profile and collegiate production. Have the Bucs found a diamond in the rough with their third-round pick? Only time will tell.

The selection of Ted Hurst in round 3 earns the Buccaneers a B+ grade.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google