Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tez Johnson Manifest NFL Draft Destination With Bucky Irving?

Former Oregon Ducks wide receiver and now Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Tez Johnson repeatedly told Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving last season that he wanted to play with him in Tampa Bay. That vision took life when Johnson was selected with the 235th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers.

Johnson, like his former Oregon teammate and now Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, called his shot to be drafted by the team he wanted.

"Tez used to always say when he would be watching my games or anything like that, he would say, 'Bro, I want to come down with you to Tampa,'” Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving said on the “Up and Adams Show.”

"He used to say it every time we got on the phone, and I always told him, 'Just put your head down and work and God is going to take care of everything.' Then, it happened so I guess he got what he wanted," Irving continued.

Johnson and Irving both transferred to Oregon during their college careers, but they both found immediate success with the Ducks. Irving rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his two seasons as an Oregon Duck. 

Johnson had a similar success story with the Ducks, finishing in the top five for all-time receptions by a Duck, and amassing the most yards after catch in the last two years out of all power four players. The Buccaneers will now be one of 18 teams in the NFL to boast two or more Ducks on the active roster, joining notably the Denver Broncos for NFL teams with more recent Oregon Ducks on the roster.

Johnson confirmed that before every Ducks game last season, he would watch Irving's highlights.

"He is slippery, and he doesn't go down,” said Johnson on Irving. “He does not let anybody bring him down and it is kind of similar to me and how shifty he is at his size, and I am the same kind of way for my size. We are just elite together so that is why I watch him the most, and he was at a higher level than me.”

Irving is every bit deserving of the praise from Johnson. In his rookie season, Irving led all rookies with rushing yards (1,122) and rushing touchdowns (eight). Irving also set a franchise record with 5.4 rush yards/attempt. It is the third-highest mark in NFL history trailing only running backs Adrian Peterson and Clinton Portis.

As a seventh-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it will be an uphill battle for Johnson to see the field at wide receiver. One place he can possibly make an impact is on special teams. Johnson averaged 8.9 yards per punt return during his time with the Ducks.