Rookie Wide Receiver Flashing Early at Buccaneers Training Camp

You can watch Nystrom's entire evaluation of the Buccaneers' draft and UDFA classes here. 

The fact is though, what a player has done in the past really doesn't matter once he reaches the NFL level. These are the best players in the world. And for a UDFA to make an impact, and have any hope of making the team, he needs to put it all together in a hurry.

And although we're only two days into training camp, it's starting to look like Rakim Jarrett might be a player who has his heart set on doing just that.

Covering training camp for BucsGameday, Logan Robinson was on the field today, and he was quick to confirm the excitement shared by Bucs' head coach, Todd Bowles, and quarterback, Baker Mayfield, as it relates to Jarrett's performance today. 

Bowles, who doesn't normally gush too much about rookies, was clearly impressed by what he saw on the field today. 

"We know the talent there. He can run, he can stop, he can run with the ball. [He can] jump and catch, as you've seen. It's not just about that, it's about learning the scheme and fitting in, and seeing how many things he can do. We think he's very talented. Two days in, we're not crowning anybody on or off this team... We like the athlete we brought in, and we like the tools that he has. He's great to work with."

Mayfield, who hit Jarrett on a contested deep ball catch, also had some really strong praise for the undrafted rookie receiver. 

"Really good ability to high point the ball. He's got good body control when he's in the air. So those are guys that when you have the 1-on-1's and 3rd down situations like that, you're going to try and find. You're going to try and find those guys who you know are going to make contested catches. I've been truly impressed with how he's been so far, throughout the offseason and obviously early start of camp."

We already know Rakim Jarrett is explosive. What the Buccaneers' coaches will need to see more of is polished route running, and consistency when it comes to catching the football in all areas of the field. 

Based on what we saw from the talented rookie today if Jarrett can do those things throughout training camp and the preseason, then you can expect his natural talent to take care of the rest. 

For continuing coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, check out the Bucs Banter YouTube channel.