TAMPA, Fla. -- For more than a decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers relied on five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans as their big-time playmaker.
But Evans is gone now, and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will be charged with the task of replacing Evans' production, which accounted for nearly 29% of the Bucs' offensive scoring through the air since 2014.
To put it bluntly, Robinson's words are the Bucs' reality: "You're never going to replace a Mike Evans."
Last season, 2025 first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka was thrust into Evans' spot with him out for nine games (between hamstring and collarbone injuries) and the Bucs' other top returning wide receivers being out to start the season in Chris Godwin Jr. (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck). But Robinson sees Egbuka, who also spent time in the slot while Godwin was out, being used as more of a "Z" -- who lines up off the line of scrimmage -- in his system than the "X" position that Evans manned since arriving in 2014.
McMillan, who missed the first 14 games last season, has typically lined up in the "Z" role as well. He continues to build his body in the offseason, but at this juncture, he lacks the true physicality to be an "X." Rather, he's better served having a freer release off the line of scrimmage and working in motion. He can also line up in the slot.
Godwin, who lined up on the outside opposite Evans until coach Bruce Arians' arrival in 2019, has played his best football as a slot receiver. He posted a league-leading 50 catches in Weeks 1-7 prior to suffering a dislocated ankle in 2024 -- and looks to continue in that role.
And then Tez Johnson, a seventh-round pick in 2025 who finished his rookie season with five touchdowns, is 5-foot-10 and weighs 165 pounds, so naturally he's not a "X" either. His smaller frame means the Bucs have to be selective about his usage.
So this is where this year's third-round pick in Ted Hurst comes in.
At 6-4 and 206 pounds, Hurst ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the combine in February, along with posting an 11-3 broad jump -- tops among wide receivers -- and a 36.5-inch vertical. Robinson said there is a "lot to be excited about" with Hurst and that "he's a true kind of 'X' receiver."
"You're looking for some of those skill sets that have similarities [to Evans]," Robinson said of Hurst. "He can run, he's got great hands, he's an instinctual player, but ... he's going to have a long way to go.
"But there's so many things I like about Ted and just being with him throughout rookie minicamp -- really smart, really intentional. He did a great job handling all the information over a short amount of time."
In two seasons at Georgia State (he spent two years prior at Valdosta State), Hurst caught 127 passes for 1,965 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 15.5 yards per catch. Then during the first Senior Bowl practice, he caught scouts' attention with a one-handed grab against Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal, which went viral.
"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," Bucs wide receivers coach Bryan McLendon said. "And when you started evaluating all of those receivers, he was one of those guys where it was like, we kind of had a range where we could have drafted a receiver, and it was like, 'OK let's just kind of evaluate him, not really anticipating him being there in that range."
After the Bucs addressed their two biggest needs in the draft -- edge rusher in Round 1 with Rueben Bain Jr., inside linebacker in Round 2 with Josiah Trotter -- Hurst was still available at No. 84 overall, which is when the Bucs could afford to grab Hurst.
"I [was] getting more and more excited, it looked like he was gonna be there -- it was at the top end of that range that we were going to potentially be able to do something with him, and it all just worked out to where we were able to get him," McLendon said.
"We're not expecting him to come in and just take over and have to be a big part of our offense," Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl said. "Now, that being said, there's nothing that says he can't if he comes in and proves himself. Whatever role he has, it's going to be on what he's ready for and how he works and proves himself.
"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."
But the Bucs might not have to rely on an "X" factor. Robinson, a disciple of Sean McVay who spent the past two seasons as the Atlanta Falcons' offensive playcaller, runs a version of McVay's offense, which historically has not had a true "X" receiver.
This helped Cooper Kupp become a superstar. But Robinson has seen the value of that "X." That flexibility can afford Hurst some time to develop while allowing quarterback Baker Mayfield to distribute the ball around.
"Having a true 'X' is a weapon as an offense. Knowing that if that guy's a real threat on the backside and you can dictate some certain coverages certain ways, that is an absolute threat," Robinson said. "So the closest guy we kind of had in L.A. was [Odell Beckham Jr.]. When we got Odell in that '21 season, and he changed the math with the defense and there's one-on-one opportunities when they don't. So yeah, having a true 'X' is a luxury."
So how will it all look for the Bucs? Robinson thinks there will be some versatility to the offense.
"We've been seeing it both ways though where he didn't have a true 'X' and really all three receivers can play all three spots, which is also tough on a defense because guys can line up everywhere," Robinson said. "And that's where you see the flexibility of [McMillan] and [Egbuka] and [Godwin]. Those guys can line up everywhere, and there's really no true 'X,' no true 'F' [a hybrid receiver], no true 'Z,' but you got a bunch of different versatility from a pretty cool skill group."