Hurst Has More To Prove, No Takeaways From Defense

[The Bucs resumed rookie mini-camp with their second practice of the weekend, taking place on Saturday. They began around 1:15 p.m. and the practice went on until 2:30 p.m. The weather held up a little better on Saturday, thanks to more of a breeze and some slight cloud coverage. It was still in the high 80s for the temperature, but felt more manageable than the day prior.

Local media spoke with three offensive players before practice began. They were wide receiver Ted Hurst, offensive lineman Billy Schrauth, and tight end Bauer Sharp. Schrauth, who was a team captain at Notre Dame, talked a lot about going from being a leader at his school to now being the newcomer to an offensive line room that is very tight knit.

“I’m going to bring energy to the guys,” Schrauth said. “I always try to give dudes energy and not take it. I think it’s in everything, when you’re in the locker room, it’s certainly when you’re out in the field, fourth quarter and things are getting tough. I think it’s a way of going about your life, trying to be an energy giver.”

The enthusiasm coming from Bauer Sharp during his press conference resonated throughout the room. He mentioned that he was “ecstatic” to be with the Bucs.

“I was literally driving on my way to Tampa and I just couldn’t stop (smiling.),” Sharp said. “I’m ecstatic. All thanks to my lord and savior Jesus Christ. It’s a blessing, seriously.  I’m ready to work, learn from these vets, learn from everybody.”

With Sharp’s ability to be a Swiss army knife on this team, he’s already been put into a couple of different roles. He’s gone in motion several times on offense and has also lined up in the slot role. He talked about some of the coaches he’s been able to interact with, starting with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

“He’s awesome, ” Sharp added. “He’s just been helping me. I just got done talking to him about a certain concept. He knows a lot of ball, you can tell. I’m excited to learn from him, excited to see what he has for our offense.”

Sharp was also at the forefront of many special teams drills, hearing much of what new special teams coach Danny Smith had to say.

“That’s one of my favorite coaches of all time. He’s a great dude. He’s very genuine. You can tell he loves his guys, you can tell he loves coaching everybody, the offense and defense. Getting to learn from him, he’s a very smart guy, he’s been doing it for a long time. I’m glad to work with him.”

Ted Hurst Motivated By Having More To Prove

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding wide receiver Ted Hurst and what he will bring to Tampa Bay’s offense this year. It’s a talented group with the receiver room on the Bucs, but Hurst might be able to provides some traits that other don’t have. Hurst is the tallest receiver on the team by far and can play the X receiver role that brings out the best part of his game.

“I’ve been diving into the playbook really hard,” Hurst said. “Looking over it at night, getting that install, trying to perfect that because that’s a key aspect to getting on the field and playing. I want to play early.”

Hurst has stood out the most on offense throughout the two practices. He had the biggest play of the day on Friday with a big catch down the field on the last play of practice. He was very involved on Saturday, too. Many targets went his way on short to intermediate throws, as he used his body size to make sure he was in position.

Hurst was making catches on the left and right side of the field, showing his comfortability everywhere.

“I bring value,” Hurst said when talking about the best part of his game. “Whether it’s going to be on special teams or whether it’s going to be on the field making plays. I’m going to show up every time.”

The Bucs have had a trend in recent seasons of having rookie receivers become big contributors in their first years. Jalen McMillan was scoring touchdowns all over the place by the end of his rookie year. Then last season Emeka Egbuka led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns while fellow rookie Tez Johnson was second in touchdowns.

Entering this opportunity with the Bucs, Hurst feels there’s no better place to come to and make an impact with how other players have done so.

“That definitely motivates for me seeing a younger guy come in and step into that role and be a professional,” Hurst said. “And also cause an impact in the game early on. That’s motivation for me.”

Maybe some of why Hurst has gotten so much attention is because he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder. Coming from Georgia State, Hurst is aware of the detractors who will say that he didn’t play against good enough competition and that’ll hurt him at the NFL level. But Hurst has the belief in himself to know that he’s capable going against any player from any background.

This is going to drive him the whole season.

“I definitely feel like I still have something to prove,” Hurst said. “There’s a lot of doubters on my potential and where I can go at in this profession. I had that talk with myself and it’s a little fuel to my fire.”

Bucs Defense Doesn’t Take the Ball Away, But CB Impresses

Only so much can be gleaned from a rookie mini-camp where pads aren’t worn, no tackling is allowed, and several of these players will not be on the team when the season gets started. With that said, Tampa Bay’s defense did not record an interception or forced fumble during these practices. There were some pass breakups, but interceptions.

Some of that may have been because there weren’t many deep plays. Also, Rueben Bain Jr. and other edge rushers and defensive lineman aren’t allowed to hit the quarterbacks, which takes away strip sacks. The defense is supposed to be revamped this season, and it was disappointing not seeing one interception in two days. Maybe the absence of Keionte Scott played a role in it.

One defensive back that did have a good showing was undrafted free agent corner Ayden Garnes out of Arizona. Garnes looked comfortable in his role by reading plays well and even recording a pass breakup on Saturday. He looked quick in his coverage and might be a player that has a fighting chance to make the roster given the outlook at outside corner. Garnes is a name to look at for OTAs and mandatory mini-camp.

Other Notes And Observations From Day 2 Of Bucs Rookie Mini-Camp

• The Bucs signed undrafted free agent inside linebackers Javin Wright and Caden Fordham to the roster after practice, so they will continue to get looks over the summer. There’s going to be some good competition for the last linebacker spot on this team.
• Bain absolutely forklifted an offensive tackle today on a pass rush, pushing him back with ease. It’s another example of the power he has in his game.
• Cornerbacks that had pass breakups today included Garnes and Jackson Zimmerman, while safety Xavion Alford had one while covering Hurst on the play.
• Bauer Sharp was the other primary target in the passing game besides Hurst. He excelled on some out routes showing off his athleticism. A good sign showing off his versatility.
• Special teams coordinator Danny Smith continues to be loud. That unit is going to be vastly improved.
• I wasn’t overly impressed by quarterback Jalen Daniels. His throws deep were a little underwhelming and short, plus he had some overthrows, too. It’s nothing to freak out about as the competition with him and Conner Bazelak will be for the whole summer. Daniels did show off his legs a bit with scrambles.
• ILB Josiah Trotter really had his speed on display. He was just so much faster than the other inside linebackers in drills with him. He’s going to fly around with this team.