Who is Ted Hurst? Why Buccaneers' WR draft pick might be sleeper of 2026 class to replace Mike Evans

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Ted Hurst is an NFL Draft sleeper.

Now, he's the newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They took him in the third round on Friday night at No. 84 overall.

He's a big dude with athleticism, but he's from Georgia State, so he slid.

But in Senior Bowl week, he stole the show.

"If you ask any DB at the Senior Bowl, they've heard of Ted Hurst," ESPN's Booger McFarland said on the draft broadcast.

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Here's what you need to know.

Who is Ted Hurst?

Hurst is a 6-foot-4, 206-pound receiver who started his college career at Valdosta State before ending it at Georgia State.

In 2025, Hurst was huge, catching 71 passes for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns.

Hurst measured 6 feet, 3 inches and seven-eighths at the Combine.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds.

His vertical jump was 36.5 inches, and his broad jump was 11-3.

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The Bucs will return a bunch of smaller receivers: Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson.

They lose Mike Evans to the 49ers, though.

Hurst is the big target who can, if everything goes right, replace Evans.

That's a big role to fill, but Hurst might just be special.