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’t 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 2:47 pm
I’m pretty sure joe know this JA but in the off-season when you are scraping the bottom of the barrel for content to write about sometimes you get articles like this one.
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 3:04 pm
I love this. It will motivate the WRs.
July 15th, 2026 at 3:13 pm
If repeated after the season, this survey would have a very different outcome.
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.
July 15th, 2026 at 4:15 pm
Sounds right.
July 15th, 2026 at 4:29 pm
I’d love to see Chris take off like 2 years ago. Some of y’all forget he was leading the league in most metrics before his injury. He did this without blazing speed. Lots of short/intermediate routes where he ate up YAC. I think he’s going to be fully healed and anxious to make his mark (again). Chris is also (imo) perfectly suited to mentor the young talent.
July 15th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
We have three of the best
July 15th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
Why would you expect the Bucs wr’s be ranked in the top 10…
Godwin, consistently hurt and over paid by a GM who is blinded by over paying his own players
McMillian, 3rd year receiver who had a promising 1st year and an injury riddled second season
Meka, great 8 games and then disappeared
This small fanbase always tends to overvalue the players and roster when compared to the rest of the league
July 15th, 2026 at 5:26 pm
We’re loaded that’s all I’ve heard on here, horse crap avg receiver crew at best
July 15th, 2026 at 5:53 pm
Rocket10. You might be right. But if I could bet on it, I’d bet you’re wrong.
July 15th, 2026 at 6:11 pm
Godwin was a top 3 Receiver through the first 7 games of 2024 – until Roquan Smith took him down with an illegal hip drop tackle at the end of the game w/ Baltimore….
If Chris is back close to 100% – he could easily be a top 10 receiver this year
July 15th, 2026 at 7:29 pm
Fire the cannons your wrong about Jalen. You make it sound like he had a bunch of injuries and is soft like Dean. He broken his neck in preseason came back and started where he left off in 24. Godwin deff wasn’t over paid. While he has bin hurt he does it all especially the dirty work he was a top 7 WR in 24 before a illegal hit took him out for almost 2 seasons before that injury he led the league in most categories was balling out more than Evans. Hes earned his pay day weather you think so or not
July 15th, 2026 at 7:41 pm
We need a better QB, for our receivers to get any recognition…..
July 15th, 2026 at 7:58 pm
HeavyE Says:
July 15th, 2026 at 7:41 pm
We need a better QB, for our receivers to get any recognition….
=======================================
Hey, your old favorite Kyle Trask is looking for a team. Seems like the entire NFL isn’t interested even though he has legions of fans on these pages.
July 15th, 2026 at 8:08 pm
For those of you excited about Ted Hurst because he is big and fast, consider the following.
The drastic drop-off in career longevity and second contracts by round can be broken down as follows:
Round 1: ~50% to 64% earn a second contract.
Round 2: ~30% to 40% earn a second contract.
Round 3: ~15% to 30% earn a second contract.
Rounds 4–7: Drops to under 10%
Fans for every team think they have a steal after the draft only for those players to fall victim to these numbers.
I would pump the brakes on Hurst until we see him in pads. As for Tez, well it’s hard for #5 to see the field so how much value would a 2nd contract fetch. Only scored 5 TDs because even the receivers coach was injured last year.
July 15th, 2026 at 8:23 pm
Don’t ya love how Evans comes into the article again. It’s old news and most people already know that about him.
July 15th, 2026 at 9:34 pm
There were people involved in this survey that didn’t think Puka or ASB were Top 10 but Tyreek Hill was.
July 15th, 2026 at 10:20 pm
Gipper Says
“To HeavyE: Hey, your old favorite Kyle Trask is looking for a team. Seems like the entire NFL isn’t interested even though he has legions of fans on these pages.”
I totally disagree with HeavyE…but your comment made me think about impossible scenarios.
Imagine if all our QBs got injured and they had to bring back Trask…and he ended up pulling a Tom Brady (when he wasa backup for the Pats)
July 15th, 2026 at 10:38 pm
LMAO, Kyle Trask is a bum who Licht never should have wasted a No. 2 pick on but he is famous for blowing No. 2 picks. i have caught so much flak from Gator fans for stating as much as soon as they blew the pick. I have a more different scenario for you that is even more unfeasible. Imagine the orange pumpkin in the White House telling the truth, for once.
July 16th, 2026 at 12:07 am
Been trying to tell people this for all throughout the entire offseason. Honestly, it was very obvious, and easy to see… As long as you were being just an ‘unbiased’ evaluator. It’s what I’ve been saying… We have a WR-room full of a bunch of #2’s. Godwin is going to have to be “GODWIN” AGAIN, just in order for HIM to even be a “2” NOW. EE is solid, very skilled, and fundamentally sound… He’s also, a GREAT Teammate and Locker-room guy, who will play a HUGE roll for this team. JMac is much more RAW (with very STRONG hands)… Just FEARLESS. A FRICKIN’ ANIMAL.
The great thing about them both, especially together, is just their unselfishness. There’s never any “DRAMA,” or any of that BS from either one of THESE GUYS! Hell, they don’t have time to waste on some kinda BS. They’re GROWNUPS. They just go out there, and focus on doing one-thing, and one-thing ONLY… THEIR GD JOBS. They both, were in LOADED “WR-rooms” while in college, and they were NEVER ‘selfish’ towards ANY of their teammates… EVER. Cause, that’s just not ‘who’ THEY ARE. They are true PROS. Serious. Grown. ASS. MEN. They MEAN Freaking BUSINESS. Whatever. It. Takes.
They are ‘WINNERS’ FIRST, through and through. Even, sacrificing ’themselves’ to benefit the TEAM. They really ‘compliment’ one another, just so perfectly, too! BUT, if you got a true legit (ELITE #1-WR) ‘option’ to add alongside of THEM (such as Jeremiah Freaking SMITH)… Then, you better LOOKOUT!!!! Cause, HERE WE COME. For the next 10-YEARS, beginning in 2027 (lol)… Might just ‘sneak’ into the “Playoffs” already, by 2028. And, possibly even ‘flirt’ with contending for a Super Bowl, in 2029. THEN, from that point on… It is ‘LIFTOFF’ and we are OFF to the RACES.
July 16th, 2026 at 3:18 am
@ Simple T Says: “see Chris take off like 2 years ago. Some of y’all forget he was leading the league in most metrics before his injury.”
Ummmm… NO ONE, forgot about this! SERIOUSLY. Absolutely, NO ONE. Not a ‘single person’ ONE, on this whole entire site. Tellin’ ya, now… It’s a total Fantasyland.
July 16th, 2026 at 3:53 am
@ #1bucsfan – Horrible Take. As usual, it just REEKS of Homerism. Nowhere, even near living in REALITY. And, was obviously a HORRENDOUS signing… In EVERY possible way, imaginable. There was soooo MANY more options, that were just much better uses for THAT amount of MONEY (than what we got out of it). Just completely, thrown down the drain. WASTED. $66-MILLION. $44-MILLION FULLY-Guaranteed. Plus, ANOTHER whole season left, too… Even, AFTER “This One.” So… STILL, 2-more full seasons to go.
July 16th, 2026 at 7:57 am
Please, for the love of God, move on from the ship jumper! He moved on from us quickly enough!
EFF THAT GUY.