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Undrafted Bucs WR With ‘Real Burner’ Speed Trending Toward Roster
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- Undrafted Bucs WR With ‘Real Burner’ Speed Trending Toward Roster
Georgia Tech wide receiver Eric Rivers. Getty
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened their doors to undrafted wide receiver Eric Rivers this spring to get a closer look at a player who, when healthy, is the fastest player on the roster at his position.
Rivers has the talent and the speed to play in the NFL, and Pewter Report's Scott Reynolds thinks if he can stay on the field, there's a chance Rivers becomes 1 of the biggest surprises to come out of training camp.
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Reynolds put Rivers at the top of his list of "dark horse" contenders to make the 53-man roster just 1 month from when the Bucs report.
"On offense, the Bucs are curious about undrafted free agent wide receiver Eric Rivers, who missed some time during the OTAs with a hamstring injury," Reynolds wrote. "Rivers is the fastest receiver with 4.35 speed, and that's something the receiver room lacks right now — a real burner — despite having tons of talent. The Bucs have always liked to have a receiver with the speed to go deep and stretch the defense – think Scotty Miller and Trey Palmer from yesteryear. So we'll see if Rivers can step up and stay healthy during camp and the preseason."
Eric Rivers Played for 3 Different Colleges
Rivers, 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, started his college career as a walk-on at Memphis and played cornerback as a true freshman, redshirted with a shoulder injury as a sophomore before transferring to FIU and re-emerging as a wide receiver in 2023.
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In his 1st season at FIU in 2023, Rivers got his footing with 32 receptions for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had a breakout season in 2024 with 62 receptions for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns. That included a single-game record 295 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns against New Mexico State.
At FIU in 2024, Rivers was named not only All-Conference USA but also All-American. NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicted Rivers would be a 7th-round pick or priority free agent.
Buccaneers Could Create Unique Role for Eric Rivers
Where Rivers might help the Buccaneers the most in 2026 is by using his afterburner speed on special teams .
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"Eric Rivers is a vertical matchup wide receiver who is capable of taking the top off the defense," Bleacher Report's Damian Parson wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. "Rivers excels as a deep option in the offense, but has to refine other areas of his game, making him a role-specific player … he projects as a backup with room to improve and possibly carving out a role as a return specialist."
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport put Rivers at the top of his list of the NFL's "Most Exciting" undrafted free agents just 2 months from training camp.
"It wasn't all that surprising that Rivers went undrafted despite a 2024 season in which he topped 1,100 receiving yards at Florida International, averaged almost 19 yards per catch and scored 12 touchdowns — at just 5'10" and 177 pounds, he has the build of a slot receiver but the game of a boundary wideout," Davenport wrote. " … those wheels and athleticism got Rivers a chance to show that big impacts can come in small packages. And as the old saying goes, you can't teach speed."
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