Buccaneers to Add Record-Breaking Weapon for Baker Mayfield

By all accounts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated free agency during the first wave of the NFL offseason. They avoided the doomsayers who predicted they would lose renowned receiver Mike Evans, signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to a reasonable long-term contract, tagged Antoine Winfield to keep him around for at least another year, and brought back solid linebacker David.

They cut dead weight, including mercurial linebacker Devin White, while re-signing safety Jordan Whitehead following a two-year spell with the Jets. USA Today scored the Bucs’ free agency an A, Pro Football Focus gave them an A-, and CBS Sports gave Tampa a B+.

The Buccaneers will still need to sign top tackle Tristan Wirfs to a large, long-term contract, and a new deal for Winfield is possible, but the status of the safety market will most likely push that to next year.

Next up, however, is the NFL draft, which takes place at the end of April, and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper believes the Bucs will make an eye-opening pick at No. 26: Texas speedster Xavier Worthy, a wide receiver who set an NFL combine record by running a 4.21 40-yard dash, sending him soaring up draft boards everywhere.

Xavier Worthy Could ‘Take the Top Off’ Defenses

Worthy would provide the Buccaneers with a dangerous deep threat to complement Evans and other standout receiver Chris Godwin. He grabbed 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns last season, and he scored 26 touchdowns across his three years at Texas.

He would be a field-stretcher for Mayfield, despite his small stature, and would aid the Bucs’ underneath game by freeing up even more space.

According to Kiper: “The Bucs are running it back from 2023 … So how can the Bucs improve with this pick?  I see room for a third wide receiver to take the top off the defense. And what better way to accomplish this than with the quickest prospect in NFL combine history?

“At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Worthy is little, but he is explosive with the ball in his hands. He’ll improve Mayfield’s yards-per-attempt average simply by rushing past corners on crossers. He scored 26 touchdowns in three college seasons.

Of course, the Bucs do have a developing No. 3 option on the roster in Trey Palmer, who ran a 4.33 40-yard sprint last year and was drafted in the sixth round. He appeared in all 17 Bucs games, catching 39 receptions for 385 yards. Palmer gained 136 yards in his final three games of 2023, including a 56-yard touchdown reception in the postseason triumph over Philadelphia.

 

Buccaneers Could Land Top-10 Talent, per PFF

If you believe Palmer can be the Bucs’ No. 3 wideout, regardless of Worthy’s speed, you might prefer the simulation created by PFF last week, which includes the Bucs adding another possible star contributor: Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse.

Verse has been touted as high as the Top 10 (Kiper has him at ninth), but PFF observes that the emphasis on edge rushers in free agency may cause a guy like Verse to fall, and the Bucs would welcome him enthusiastically.

PFF wrote, “There aren’t many better scenarios for the Buccaneers than somehow getting Jared Verse at Pick 26. The Florida State product is good enough to move much higher, but with free agency, I see him and Laiatu Latu slipping a little. That does not make them any lesser players, however. Verse would be an immediate starter for Tampa Bay.”