Who Should I Start? Van Jefferson or Ted Hurst

Wednesday, June 3, 6:25 AM

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spending a third-round pick on perimeter wide receiver Ted Hurst, he steps into the league with colossal shoes to fill. For the first time since 2013, the Buccaneers will be without six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans, after the 32-year-old wideout signed a three-year deal with the 49ers in free agency. At 6'3" and 206 pounds, Hurst profiles as the most likely player to inherit Evans' X-role on the boundary, but the receiver depth in Tampa runs deep, with a versatile group of pass-catchers capable of playing across the formation. For Hurst to eventually earn an every-down role in two-receiver sets, his most direct competition could come from third-year receiver Jalen McMillan. Reports out of OTAs have suggested that McMillan has put the neck injury that limited him to only four games in 2025 squarely behind him, and he has looked like the best receiver on the field at times. A younger prospect, with the bulk of his collegiate success coming as a downfield ball-winner, Hurst profiles as a boom-or-bust receiver who could struggle to consistently reach his ceiling early in his career, but in a weak draft class, he slots in as RotoBaller's rookie WR12.