Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently identified Eric Rivers as the most intriguing undrafted free agent addition for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into OTAs and training camp.
Rivers produced impressive numbers during his final college season at Florida International, finishing with more than 1,100 receiving yards while averaging nearly 19 yards per catch and scoring 12 touchdowns.
The biggest concern surrounding Rivers throughout the draft process was size. At 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, he lacks the frame teams traditionally look for in an outside receiver. That likely contributed to him going undrafted despite his production and explosiveness at the wide-out position.
His athletic profile, however, clearly attracted attention during the draft process. According to Chris Lewis of Heavy, Rivers posted an 8.69 Relative Athletic Score after testing during the pre-draft process, including a 4.35-second forty-yard dash along with strong explosion numbers in the vertical and broad jump.
That combination of speed and big-play ability gives Rivers a legitimate opportunity to compete for attention during offseason work. Tampa Bay’s receiver room remains young overall, with several established names, which could create opportunities for undrafted players who can stand out athletically.
For now, Rivers enters OTAs as one of the more interesting developmental players on Tampa Bay’s roster because of the type of speed and explosiveness that NFL teams are always willing to gamble on.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Who is the Bucs most exciting UDFA heading into OTAs?
Reporting by Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
