There’s things you can teach in football, and there are things you can’t — Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted free agent wide receiver Eric Rivers has speed only the heavens can bless you with.
Rivers went undrafted in 2026 despite running the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.35 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicts he could go from UDFA to make the 53-man roster.
“(Rivers) is a blazing fast (4.35-second 40-yard dash) downfield threat who can give Baker Mayfield a legitimate downfield target,” Knox wrote. “Rivers averaged an impressive 15.7 yards per catch in college. While he had a modest 658 receiving yards with the Yellow Jackets last season, he racked up 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns with Florida International the previous season.”
While 1 way to look at Rivers’ drop-off in production from FIU in 2024 to Georgia Tech in 2025 might be looked at as a negative, it shouldn’t be. It’s a marked upgrade in competition from Conference USA to the ACC, and Rivers’ numbers show a player more than capable of playing to that level and who is probably only getting better.
3 Different Colleges, 2 Different Positions
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.
In his 1st season at FIU in 2023, Rivers got his footing with 32 receptions for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns, then had his 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.
Eric Rivers Could Find Unique Role With Bucs
Where he might help the Buccaneers the most in 2026 is by using his afterburner speed on special teams as a return specialist.
“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.”
Rivers actually comes to the Buccaneers at a unique time in franchise history following the departure of legendary wide receiver Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
The group that will be counted on to win games this season includes 2025 1st round pick Emeka Egbuka, who hit a massive rookie wall lae in the year, injury-prone $66 million former All-Pro Chris Godwin, and 3rd year wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who is coming off a severe neck injury.
“Eric Rivers is an intriguing receiver prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft,” NFL draft preview account I Don’t Watch Film wrote on its official X account on March 18. “I like him more than a lot of other smaller-framed prospects that are projected to go ahead of him.”
Bucs Predicted to Keep UDFA With 4.35-Second 40-Yard Dash on Roster