Do the Bucs have another Antonio Brown-type player waiting in the wings? That’s what Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said about rookie wide receiver Jaelon Darden, comparing him to Brown, who turns 33 next month.

“It’s all over the college tape,” Leftwich said about Darden. “I was a big fan of his. He’s not a big guy, but a smaller guy that can pluck the ball. He’s very fast. His mannerisms are very similar to A.B.

“Obviously that’s a big order to put on anybody, but I just remember A.B. being a rookie, being a player on that team. They are very similar. Very similar football players.”

Leftwich should know. He was a backup quarterback with the Steelers from 2010-12 and threw the ball to Brown regularly in practice and in the preseason. Brown signed with Tampa Bay midway through last year and recorded 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. He added a two more touchdowns in the postseason, including one in Super Bowl LV.

Bucs WR Antonio Brown – Photo by: USA Today

Both receivers were Day 3 picks with Brown as a sixth-round selection by Pittsburgh in 2010. The Bucs traded up to get Darden in the fourth round in April.

Brown is slightly bigger at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, while Darden checks in at 5-foot-8, 174 pounds. Both receivers do their damage with sticky hands and electric footwork. Even their college production was similar.

Brown totaled 305 catches for 3,199 yards (10.5 avg.) and 22 touchdowns at Central Michigan. He also rushed for 531 yards and four touchdowns on 72 carries (7.4 avg.), while returning two kicks and three punts for TDs. The talented Brown also threw a touchdown pass for the Chippewas.

Darden notched 230 catches for 2,782 yards (12.1 avg.) with 33 touchdowns at North Texas. A whopping 19 of those TDs came last season when he had 74 catches for a career-high 1,190 yards (16.1 avg.) as a senior.

Last week, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians compared Darden to another former Pittsburgh receiver in Emmanuel Sanders.

Time will tell if Darden can come close to becoming the caliber of receiver that Brown, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has been over his 12-year NFL career. But Leftwich likes that Darden can learn from one of the game’s all-time greats first hand.

“I think it’s good that he’s in the same room as him,” Leftwich said. “Skill sets are similar.”