Bucs’ Best Bets: Wide Receiver

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: Ohio State WR Terry McLaurin

Tampa Bay has more pressing needs on defense rather than addressing wide receiver in the second or third round, although Oklahoma’s speedster Marquise “Hollywood” Brown may get consideration in the second round. He visited the Bucs on April 8. With Bruce Arians loving speed at the wide receiver position, drafting a player like McLaurin in the third round might make sense as he’s one of the fastest wideouts in the 2019 NFL Draft.

McLaurin was a complementary receiver to Curtis Samuel and Parris Campbell at Ohio State where he caught 75 passes for 1,251 yards (16.7 avg.) and 19 touchdowns, including 35 passes for 701 yards (20 avg.) and 11 TDs as a senior. McLaurin used a great showing at the Senior Bowl where he demonstrated his ability to consistently separate from cornerbacks, in addition to running a 4.35 at the NFL Scouting Combine, to elevate his draft stock. The Bucs had a formal meeting with McLaurin at the Combine and would likely be their pick if they were to draft a receiver in the third round on Day 2.

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: Baylor WR Jalen Hurd

Hurd is an interesting player because he started as a 6-foot-5, 226-pound running back at Tennessee where he was the starter ahead of Alvin Kamara and John Kelly. Hurd, a five-star recruit, rushed for 2,635 yards and 20 touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry in his three years with the Volunteers, including a 1,285-yard, 12-touchdown season in 2015, before a concussion limited him to just seven games and prompted a position switch to wide receiver.

Hurd transferred to Baylor to play receiver, and after sitting out 2017, he caught 69 passes for 946 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 209 yards and three scores as a situational tailback. Hurd has very good hands, a great work ethic and tremendous size and versatility that would have some appeal to Tampa Bay, which could use him as a situational runner and a big slot receiver or wideout on the perimeter. Only his 4.66 time in the 40-yard dash keeps him out of Rounds 1-4. The Bucs met with Hurd at the NFL Scouting Combine and also had him in for a Top 30 visit at One Buccaneer Place.

Baylor Highlights

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