26 Receivers Lauded But None For Tampa Bay
July 15th, 2026
On the heels of NFL scouts, coaches and executives not voting new Bucs inside linebacker Alex Anzalone among their top-10 best at the position (24 found at least a vote), now comes their list of receivers cherished across the league.
The annual survey led by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler asks 70-plus coaches and front office types to name their personal top-10 players at a position. ESPN adds up the votes and then, for some wacky reason, doesn’ just share the raw totals.
ESPN “compiles the results and ranks candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research. … Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements.”
Why not just publish the vote totals? What is ESPN hiding?
Joe gets that follow up votes and study can break ties, but why do that?
Regardless, receiver rankings published today and no Buccaneer was included. None made the top-10, the honorable mention list or the “also receiving votes” crowd.
Twenty-six receivers were named, including Mike Evans as the second honorable mention.
Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers: “He’s declining, but he’s sort of timeless, still big and athletic and gets open. Will be interesting to see how [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan utilizes him in different ways.” — NFC scout
Big season ahead for Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka. Godwin is being paid like a top-22 receiver, and Egbuka has the talent and youth to play in that class.
July 15th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
I think this year the WR room will gain a lot more respect…as a team collectively we have a collection of talented players, Licht(in Licht we trust) and Todd has put together a Team first mentality! Solid B team, with a squad like that there has to be Great coaching on the sidelines. Not expecting a superbowl this year but as a die hard fan we ATLEAST have to get about 9-10 wins and need to make the second round of playoffs. Not sure Todd will survive another status quo season of being average…GO BUCS
July 15th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
That’s fine. If the O-Line stays healthy and Baker plays well with a Real OC this Offense- WR’s included -will be just fine. We have a lot of weapons overall and Gainwell will be used more than expected. If the Putrid Pass Defense shows that all these new faces can play and are not soft like last years-we might just have something.
July 15th, 2026 at 1:56 pm
Who cares what anyone thinks about our team. What Bucs’
July 15th, 2026 at 2:01 pm
It’s simple really. They don’t publish the totals to protect brutal honesty. Let’s say you were a GM or coach who voted for a receiver on a division rival because you thought he was better than your own team’s best receiver.
Now how’s that gonna play out if published? Not good, to put it euphemistically.
Animosity would be created, impregnated, and give birth to team division. You could have receivers demanding trades and refusing to talk to the coaches or GM’s who left them off the ballot.
If you followed Joe’s lead and published the totals and who voted for who, the GM’s and coaches would simply lie to avoid the aforementioned and negative behaviors.
In all honesty, men like the Joes who have traveled extensively within NFL circles should know this.
Lets’s create a fictional example using real players in an imaginary setting where a player crossed paths with his GM:
“Hey Licht! Egbuka here, #2. Remember me? Apparently not! What the hell were you thinking when you voted for Drake London over me? If you don’t have confidence in me then trade me. I want out!”
Really Joe? How could you possibly miss this?
July 15th, 2026 at 3:01 pm
This is disappointing but not surprising.
Chris has missed a lot of time the past two seasons. If he’d been healthy and contiued playing the way he was before he got taken out with an illegal hit, he’d have made the list.
JMac is only entering year three and missed a bunch of time last year, too. To be fair, he played lights-out once he came back. But the only national coverage we were getting concerned our losing streak, and with all the time he missed, out of sight, out of mind.
Emeka fell off during the second half of the season but might’ve made the list if he played the way he did during the first half.
Tez simply didn’t get enough playing time.
Like I said, disappointing but not surprising. We’ve still got a solid recieving core.
July 15th, 2026 at 3:18 pm
Godwin, Egbuka, and McMillan should all be good on the inside and OCCASIONALLY on the outside.
But I think Hurst will be our best outside WR for years to come.
July 15th, 2026 at 3:19 pm
Respect is earned. The 2-7 collapse is still fresh in most people’s mind.
It’s going to take a better effort in 2026 to gain back that acknowledgment of success.
The HC\DC is not doing us any favors in that regard. He makes us look really bad.
There’s no one left to fire after 2025. Put up or shut up.
Todd Bowles is now on the clock.
July 15th, 2026 at 3:21 pm
When your QB is throwing for 122 and 145 yards a game, no WR’s are going to make a ‘best of’ list.
July 15th, 2026 at 3:54 pm
I’ll take our guys 👍🏼
No more 1 guy and his stats being a priority over the offense.
July 15th, 2026 at 4:03 pm
I think it’s going to come down to the scheme and the QB. If Bakers on, he’ll spead it all over the place.
With that said, we Do have a decent wide receiver room. To “expect” to see one of our guys on that list “this year” is a bit too hopeful. Nobody around the league has a “solid” reason to fear us in that department “yet”.. And that would include our last “known” hero in Chris Godwin. There’s just no way to be sure he’ll even finish the year without getting damaged again. But I’m praying for him that he’ll make through the entire season shinning bright and coming out on top with Ebuka and McMillan, All three in a close race for the #1 spot.
And I’d SURE love to be pleasantly surprised to find Hurst comfortability embracing his new world and helping us forget just how Important Evans was to our plans of having stunning “highlight reels”.
This year Will tell the story for years to come. Inside and outside of the Buccaneers.
July 15th, 2026 at 4:12 pm
Licht, probably voted for Evans over any Buc receiver.