Tampa Bay Buccaneers star receiver Mike Evans revealed his first impressions of rookie receiver Tez Johnson. Johnson has turned heads during NFL training camp so far with explosive plays, silencing doubters who questioned his smaller size at 5-foot-10, 154 pounds.
"That's my guy, man," Evans said of Johnson. "With the ball in his hands, crazy athlete. He catches the ball really well for a smaller guy, fast guy. Because a lot of smaller guys, they don't have the best hands, but he has really good hands."
Johnson has a huge opportunity to learn from one of the greatest receivers in the NFL in Evans, who is also excelling as a veteran leader. Evans made a bold claim about the Bucs receivers room this season.
"A lot of talent, a lot of talent, a lot of humble guys, a lot of guys that put in the work. And like I said earlier in the offseason, this is definitely one of the most talented, if not the most talented receiver group I've been a part of. And I look forward to doing my part this year," Evans said.
Evans was also quick to point out his opinion of Johnson's fellow rookie receiver, Emeka Egbuka.
"I've seen what expected to see from Emeka, already a true professional. He's going to be an unbelievable playmaker and have a great career in his league," said Evans.
The former Ohio State star Egbuka was selected No. 19 overall by the Bucs in April's 2025 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay then added former Oregon star Johnson in the seventh round at No. 235 overall. The two rookies have already formed a bond and playfully jabbed each other as former Big Ten rivals.
“I mean, obviously I wanted to win the Rose Bowl, but we came up short,” Johnson said. “So we’re gonna go back to the Rose Bowl this year, and if it’s Ohio State, we’re gonna come at Jeremiah Smith.”
Egbuka responded to Johnson's challenge.
“He talks about it every day. I don’t know what’s up with that," Egbuka said with a smile. "Nah, me and Tez are building a super close relationship, probably too close. He's my roommate right now so I hear him snore every night. It's going well."
Looks like Johnson, and his funny personality, is fitting in just fine in the NFL.
In April, Tampa Bay Assistant General Manager Rob McCartney revealed he has a plan for Johnson
McCartney said that Johnson will compete as a returner immediately with second-year player Kameron Johnson.
"There's not a lot of guys that have cracked it under 160 (pounds), but you've got Tutu Atwell, you've got a guy like Tank Dell," McCartney said after drafting Johnson with Tampa Bay's final pick of the draft. "He doesn't play 4.5 (Johnson's 40-yard dash time at the combine.) He plays a lot faster. There's a lot of instances when he's the fastest player on the field. There's multiple games that I thought he was the best player on the field too."
Johnson was Oregon's leading receiver for the past two seasons and holds the program record for most receptions in a single season (86).
Johnson is an excellent fit for Tampa Bay, catching passes from quarterback Baker Mayfield. Johnson excels at creating after the catch. In 2024, he gained 604 yards after the catch, which ranked third most among qualifying receivers. His burst and shiftiness is exemplified by his impressive 6.65-second 3-cone drill at the combine.
Tampa Bay is getting a very productive receiver and positive locker room presence in Johnson.
Johnson finished the 2024 season with 898 receiving yards, 83 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Despite missing nearly three full games due to injury, Johnson has was three receptions shy of breaking the Oregon single-season receptions record of 86... Which Johnson set in 2023.
