Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox identified undrafted wide receiver Eric Rivers as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ most likely UDFA to make the roster, and the reasoning ties directly into how this receiver room is currently built.
Rivers enters as a developmental slot receiver with vertical speed, which gives him a defined lane to compete for. That matters in Tampa Bay, where Chris Godwin Jr. is locked into the starting SWR role, and the rest of the depth behind him is still being sorted out.
He is not competing with Godwin. He is competing with players like Kameron Johnson and Garrett Greene for a depth or developmental role. That shifts the conversation from talent to usefulness.
If Rivers can contribute on special teams while offering a vertical element out of the slot, he creates a case for a back-end roster spot. That is typically how WR5 or WR6 jobs are won.
This is where Tampa Bay’s roster construction shows a shift toward role-based depth. Rivers does not need a full offensive workload to stick. He needs to provide something that the others do not.
All of the above keep him firmly in the mix heading into camp. Rivers produced at multiple schools in college, including a 1,166-yard, 12-touchdown season at FIU, where he averaged 18.8 yards per reception, showing clear big-play ability. At Georgia Tech in 2025, he remained efficient with 649 yards on a 68.2% catch rate while aligning heavily in the slot, reinforcing his role versatility at 5-foot-11.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Which Bucs UDFA wide receiver could make the roster?
Reporting by Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
