Bucky Irving celebrates a touchdown by wide receiver Tez Johnson as the Oregon Ducks host their annual spring game. Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bucky Irving reveals new Tampa Bay draft pick wanted to play for Buccaneers

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated May 12, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' newest draft class is fully entrenched in rookie minicamp after either being selected by the franchise in the NFL Draft or being signed as undrafted free agents following the draft's completion.

Much of the focus has been on the early round picks of the Buccaneers, along with a couple of undrafted guys in Shilo Sanders and Desmond Watson. However, it could be the Buccaneers' last pick in the draft, wide receiver Tez Johnson, who will end up dazzling as we move through the remainder of the offseason workouts.

Johnson, who the Bucs drafted out of Oregon like his teammate Bucky Irving, electrified in college despite being one of the smaller players on the field. In a recent interview with Kay Adams, Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving described his relationship with Johnson and how the latter continuously spoke about wanting to end up in Tampa Bay.

Did Tez Johnson manifest being drafted by the Buccaneers to play with his former teammate Bucky Irving??@heykayadams | @BuckyIrving | @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/HDsiaeKkef
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 8, 2025

"Tez used to always say... 'Bro, I wanna come down there with you in Tampa.' He used to say it every time we got on the phone. I was like, 'Bro, just put your head down and work and God's gonna take care of everything,' and it happened. I guess he got what he wanted."

Sounds like Johnson has all the confidence in the world in himself. After being spectacular at Troy with the Trojans, Johnson continued to find success playing in a higher-level conference and provided a spark for the Ducks during his tenure there.

The relationship seemed to blossom between Irving and Johnson to the point they spoke regularly, in which Johnson would express his desire to join Bucky in Tampa Bay — that desire came to fruition on Day 3 of the NFL Draft with the Bucs taking Johnson in the seventh round.

Oregon has continuously produced talent, and there is no reason to doubt that Johnson won't have an impact in some way for the Bucs. Joining a team with someone he is comfortable with in Irving is always a plus and should help his transition into the NFL a bit easier.

The Buccaneers would love to see Johnson be one of their return men. While not the fastest or quickest guy, like Irving, he possesses faster play speed and a unique ability to use his vision to make guys miss in space. Adding another versatile weapon like Johnson should only help the Buccaneers as they look to make a deep playoff run in 2025.