15. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans – 2014-current

By Trevor Sikkema

Mike Evans’ athletic profile was made known well before his time in the NFL. In high school, at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, Evans was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. Evans played basketball for most of his life, averaging 18.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists as a senior, but decided to play football for his senior season as well – a choice many are glad he made.

Evans eventually committed to play football in college, not basketball. At Texas A&M University, Evans was on the receiving end of one of the most dynamic quarterback-receiver duos in the entire country for two straight years with Johnny Manziel. After being redshirted as a freshman in 2011, he had 82 receptions for 1,105 yards and five touchdowns. In his second and final season there, Evans finished the 2013 season with 69 receptions for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Bucs WR Mike Evans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Evans with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. In his rookie season, Evans broke records with 68 receptions for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns. Since then, he’s posted two more 1,000-yard seasons and even matched the record he himself had already broken with 12 touchdowns again last season

Just three years in, at age 23 (soon to be 24), Evans is already seventh all-time on the Buccaneers’ career receiving yards list, and is projected to break the career receiving touchdown record in 2017. If Evans posts another 1,000-yard season, he will move to third all-time on the career yards list, and another 1,000-yard season after that would put him No. 1 all-time before the age of 27.

Sikkema’s Take: “Evans was a controversial pick at the time when the Buccaneers selected him No. 7 overall. There was worry as to how much of his success came from Manziel or vice versa – now we know. It was also controversial because of who the Bucs passed up to take him. They could’ve had the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald Taylor Lewan, Zack Martin or Ryan Shazier. But, even though all of those players would have been good choices, there cannot be a hint of regret for selecting Evans. Evans is already the most talented receiver to play in a Buccaneers uniform, and he has a chance to shatter every wide receiver record this franchise has to a point that they may never be broken. He has a lot of work to do before he can get there, but no ceiling has ever been higher for a Buccaneers offensive player.”

14. Buccaneers C Tony Mayberry – 1990-1999

By Scott Reynolds

It’s easy to forget just how good Mayberry was as the Bucs have had some notable centers in the franchise’s history, including Jeff Christy, who helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl XXXVII, and Jeff Faine, who Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden helped make the highest paid center in the league for a while a decade ago. But Mayberry is the most decorated offensive lineman in Tampa Bay history, becoming the first Buccaneer lineman to make the Pro Bowl – and do so three times.

Former Bucs C Tony Mayberry

Mayberry is the second-best offensive lineman in team history behind left tackle Paul Gruber, who should have made a few Pro Bowls, but did make the Bucs Ring of Honor. The 6-foot-4, 288-pound center was an iron man with 145 starts and 160 games played, which ranks fourth and sixth in franchise history, respectively. The fact that Mayberry emerged as a starter in his second year and didn’t miss a start for the remainder of his tenure in Tampa Bay is quite an accomplishment.

A quiet leader who led by example, Mayberry was a key part of the Buccaneers’ turnaround along with Gruber and veteran middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson. The Wake Forest product played a big role in Tampa Bay’s rise to prominence in 1997 and was awarded with his first Pro Bowl berth after the Bucs made the playoffs that season. He also made the Pro Bowl in ’98 and ’99, which were his last two seasons in the league.

Reynolds’ Take: “Mayberry was one of the most cerebral and technically sound offensive linemen the Buccaneers have ever had, and he was the true anchor of an offensive line that helped Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn produce an awful lot of touchdowns in the late 1990s. Mayberry and guard Frank Middleton opened up plenty of inside running lanes for WD-40 and deserves a spot inside the top 15.”