Emeka Egbuka started his NFL career off with a bang in 2025. Through just five weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver had already recorded 25 catches for 445 yards and five touchdowns. He ranked fourth among all NFL wideouts at that point in receiving yards and was tied for second in touchdown grabs. He was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for September and his exploits in that five-week span included a last-minute game-winning score in Week One at Atlanta and a massive 77-yard touchdown catch in a Week Five shootout win in Seattle.

Egbuka would go on to construct one of the most prolific debut seasons ever for a Buccaneers receiver, and he finished second among all NFL rookie wideouts in 2025 in receptions and receiving yards. As impressive as all of that was, it didn't exactly come out of nowhere, however. Egbuka was the 19th overall pick in the 2025 draft, after all, and with early-season injuries to Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan he quickly became the focal point of the Bucs' passing attack. It was a noteworthy first season that portends a great professional career for the former Ohio State star.

Meanwhile, there was one other player who caught at least five touchdown passes for the Buccaneers in 2025, and it wasn't any of the usual suspects. Due to limited playing time, Evans and Godwin only combined for five touchdown catches and McMillan, who scored eight times as a rookie in 2025 did not find the end zone in his injury-shortened second season.

No, the only other Buccaneer to catch five-plus touchdown passes in 2025 was another rookie receiver, Tez Johnson, and that did come as something of a surprise. Johnson was a seventh-round pick in the '25 draft and he joined a receiving corps so deep that he was a healthy scratch in Week Two. Through the first three games of his rookie campaign he had exactly one catch for eight yards. But the same rash of ailments that thrust Egbuka into the spotlight also created opportunities for Johnson sooner than most would have imagined. While his numbers at season's end weren't as gaudy as Egbuka's, Johnson was a smashing success as a rookie, contributing 28 catches for 322 yards and those five scores. It's safe to say that seventh-round pick Tez Johnson definitely was an under-the-radar find for the Buccaneers in 2025.

That's the kind of player that we will be discussing today. As the Buccaneers continue their transition from the end of the 2025 season to a 2026 offseason that has already brought a significant amount of change, Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix, Buccaneers.com Contributor Gabriel Kahaian and I have decided to tackle a number of topics about both seasons in a series of weekly Roundtable articles between now and the start of the NFL's new league year in March. We started with a few looks back at the 2025 campaign and our now turning our attention to a variety of topics regarding what lies ahead as the Bucs try to climb back to the top of the NFC South mountain.

Bri, Gabe and I have lined up eight topics we will be debating over the next two months, one on each Monday. Here's the whole schedule, with links to the ones we've already completed:

• Monday, January 12: What was your most pleasant surprise regarding the Buccaneers' 2025 season?
• Monday, January 19: Who was the Buccaneers 2025 MVP (non-quarterback division)?
• Monday, January 26: What was the Bucs’ single most exciting play of the 2025 season?
• Monday, February 2: Who is your most intriguing under-the-radar player on the 2026 roster?
• Monday, February 9: What is the most pressing roster need the Bucs' need to address in the offseason?
• Monday, February 16: If the Buccaneers were to make a big free agency splurge, who would you want?
• Monday, February 23: What position would you like to see Tampa Bay target in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft?
• Monday, March 2: Give us one specific statistical prediction for the Bucs' 2026 season?

This week, we're looking for the player you might not see coming in 2026. Since we're doing this well before the 2026 draft, we don't have any rookies like Johnson to choose from, but there are still plenty of players who could be in position to surprise us with their production next season. Who are the potential under-the-radar performers who could emerge as important contributors in 2026. We'll make a few guesses.

The three of us are choosing not to duplicate any answers, so the order in which the three of us get to provide our predictions sometimes matters. For that reason, we're rotating the order of selection from week to week, and this time around Bri gets to start us off, followed by Gabe and then me.

Brianna Dix: WR Jalen McMillan

For this prompt, I mulled over several possibilities but given the serious nature of Jalen McMillan's injury last preseason, I believe he will catch some fans by surprise in 2026. McMillan suffered a significant neck injury in the preseason contest against Pittsburgh that landed him on injured reserve. He wore a constrictive brace for several months and made his long-awaited return against the Falcons in Week 15, quickly emerging in the offense.

Overall, McMillan only played 138 snaps in 2025, including the first 100-yard receiving game of his NFL tenure against the Dolphins in Week 17. He caught seven passes for 114 yards, including a 33-yarder off a Baker Mayfield pump-fake in the December clash. Not only did he work his way back – which was up in the air – but immediately produced one of the best games of his career. He played with urgency and made several physical grabs to move the chains, overcoming the mental hurdle that accompanies the post-rehab from an injury of that magnitude.

McMillan plays with elite body control and understands the subtleties of how to generate separation with leverage and fakes at the stem. McMillan advances quickly upfield with long strides and adjusts speed, creating cushion from defensive backs with finesse. Teams will be sure to key in on Emeka Egbuka, creating advantageous matchups for McMillan. I look forward to seeing how Zac Robinson maximizes his skillset in 2026.

Gabriel Kahaian: OLB David Walker

Improving their ability to bring down the quarterback is a top priority for the Buccaneers. Last season, they finished in the bottom half of the league in total sacks, and the team has not had a player record more than 10 in a season since Shaq Barrett hit that mark exactly in 2021. The Bucs have made moves to address the lack of production, including drafting edge rusher Chris Braswell on Day Two of the 2024 NFL Draft and signing Haason Reddick in free agency last offseason. The Bucs even brought back All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul to add some depth near the end of 2025. There is one other move made by Jason Licht that I think will pay dividends in 2026. Although we have not heard his name in a while, I truly believe David Walker will play a major role on the team next year.

For those who need a refresher, Walker was the Buccaneers' fourth-round pick in last year's draft from Central Arkansas. He totaled 39.0 sacks, 82.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles across four full seasons of play. The outside linebacker led Central Arkansas in tackles for loss and sacks in three consecutive seasons in addition to being a three-time Consensus All-American. He earned praise for his production and quick burst off the line of scrimmage, consistently wreaking havoc on opposing linemen. At the Senior Bowl, Walker excelled against the FBS's best, proving he could hold his own among his peers. Tampa Bay's staff was enamored with his potential and decided to make the 25-year-old a Buccaneer last April.

During offseason training, Walker made an impact early and was shaping up to play a significant role in the Buccaneers' 50th season. Unfortunately, on the third practice of training camp, Walker tore his ACL and spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve. As we enter 2026, he seems like a prime candidate to break out and provide the defense with the boost it needs. With the possibility of Reddick and Markees Watts entering free agency, there could be a route for Walker to see ample playing time. Even if the Bucs add other rushers to the room, Walker's time in the system will be sure to give him a leg up while preparing for the season. The team is hopeful he will be able to participate in offseason workouts and be ready for the regular season. I'm confident he will bounce back from his injury and play a key role in his second year.

Scott Smith: S J.J. Roberts

I'm going the same sort of route as Gabe with this pick, though it took me to perhaps an even lesser-known candidate than his selection. Walker was at least an early Day Three draft pick; safety J.J. Roberts came to the Buccaneers as a rookie free agent in the days following the draft. And like Walker, he built up a good amount of behind-the-scenes buzz before an unfortunate turn of events in the middle of training camp. During an August 14 joint practice with the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Roberts sustained a torn ACL that pushed him to injured reserve and wiped out his rookie campaign.

Roberts, a big-time defensive disruptor at Marshall, was one of the Buccaneers' top targets in the post-draft feeding frenzy to land undrafted players. In his two seasons with the Thundering Herd he racked up 167 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, 17 passes defensed and two forced fumbles. It didn't take long for him to show he belonged in the NFL after arriving in Tampa; the conversation around him in offseason workouts and early in camp reminded me very much of the sort of quick impression that Christian Izien had made two years earlier as an undrafted free agent. I believe Roberts would have made the 53-man roster as a rookie had he remained healthy.

Now, the size of the role that might be available to Roberts with the Buccaneers in 2026 is the part that makes this pick a little risky. The Bucs are set in the starting lineup with Pro Bowler Antoine Winfield Jr. and rising star Tykee Smith, and they also will likely still have the versatile Izien, who is currently set to become a restricted free agent. Still, Roberts could carve out a significant role on special teams to get on the 53-man roster and be active on game days. Once he has cleared that hurdle, it could just be a matter of time before some opportunity opens up for him on defense; the last few seasons have certainly made it clear that depth in the secondary is important when injuries inevitably enter the picture.