Tez Johnson is ready to conquer the NFL world with Bucky Irving and the Bucs

The NFL Draft is where dreams come true, but for Tez Johnson, joining forces with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is more than just being able to play professional football.

He gets to live out his dream with one of his best friends in Bucs running back Bucky Irving, as well as another good friend in wide receiver Jalen McMillan. ]

"I immediately thought of my boy Bucky [Irving] as soon as I got the call," Johnson told reporters after he was picked. "Literally, 31 teams and we’re about to be their kryptonite the whole time. It’s going to be a crazy experience and I can’t wait to get there. I’m excited. I have a few of my buddies down there with ‘J-Mac’ (Jalen McMillan) being there...

"... I can’t wait to get there, especially being in the same room with ‘J-Mac’, and then just being there with Bucky because we’re the energizer bunnies. We’re some of those guys that we wake up every day in the morning and we’re on. We are always going to have a smile on our face and let’s go to work."

Johnson and Irving are very similar players even though they play different positions. Both players are small, yet they are as elusive as anyone and they can break off a big play at any moment. They can operate in a phone booth, too. It's not like they're just doing this because the closest defender is a couple yards away or anything like that.

"I always have been one of those guys that wants to be able to separate," said Johnson. "It’s hard because of my size, but guess what? You still have to come out here and tackle me. If I separate from you, and you’re not doing your job, I’m going to make your job really, really hard. I don’t take it for granted...

"... It’s like one of those things I try to tie into my game, and don’t get me wrong, I was always good at breaking tackles and things like that. I definitely wanted to be able to make three guys miss, make four guys miss. That’s the excitement of the game and when you’re watching me play, you’re going to be like, ‘Oh, this guy is electrifying. You can’t get him down. If he wants to go down, he goes down on his own.’"

Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson finished with 604 yards after the catch in 2024, which ranked third out of all receivers in the FBS and was more than Bucs' first-rounder Emeka Egbuka, who is also known to do a lot of damage with the ball in his hands. He also gained an average of 7.4 yards per catch, which was third-best out of the 42 eligible receivers with at least 100 targets on the year. He has 1,352 yards after the catch since 2023, which leads the FBS.

Right now, the Bucs don't have receiver that can do what Johnson does with the ball in his hands. Sure, Chris Godwin and McMillan are good after the catch, but Johnson is elite. He adds an element the Bucs receivers didn't really have before the draft and he can help out on punt returns, too. 

"I can’t wait to get that for Tampa. I can tell you right now, any team I was going to get drafted to, that punt return is mine," Johnson boasted. "It’s something I take pride in. I would not want to be the receiver that just plays receiver. I want to play both – receiver and punt returner. That’s my goal in the league – to be a dynamic punt returner, and then to have some pieces to the offense and be able to work as a receiver, too, like being a Swiss Army Knife."

But it won't be easy for Johnson to make the Bucs roster, no matter how unique of a player he is and what he brings to the table. The Top-4 guys are set in Mike Evans, Godwin, McMillan, and Egbuka. Up next are Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, and Rakim Jarrett, three guys that aren't going to back down from the challenge Johnson represents. 

At the same time, though, the Bucs' receiver room is probably the most selfless in the NFL. It's a special characteristic, frankly, as we all know receivers can put their wants and needs before the team (in both a healthy and non-healthy way) more than others. It's an excellent environment for Johnson and he'll learn a lot from two of the best in the game, along with everyone else.

And he plans on fully using that to his advantage.

"Now that I’m there, I [will] be able to get notes from Mike Evans, and Jalen McMillan – he already had a rookie year so like how did he do it? [Chris] Godwin, like all those guys in that room, I [will] be able to learn from them, too," said Johnson.

"I’ve never been one of the guys that just comes into a room and be like, ‘Oh, this is mine.’ I want to learn first. There [are] guys there that know stuff that I’ve never known before so it’s my ability to be a sponge and soak it all in and be able to learn from those guys immediately.”

But don't get it twisted: Johnson is elated to be a Buccaneer and he's going to give the franchise everything he has in 2025 and beyond. It won't come without extra motivation, however, as he wasn't picked until the pick No. 245 out of of 257. Frankly, that makes his case even stronger when it comes to being the 31 other teams' "kryptonite". Dominating the NFL with his best buddy is already enough incentive, but getting passed over 244 times (including the Bucs' previous five selections) certainly takes things up a notch or two.

"It added fuel to the fire," admitted Johnson. "I’m telling you, I said whatever team picks me, they got the best guy in the draft. They got the best separator, the best guy on third downs and literally, they got the best guy that can take the top off whenever and nobody’s going to be able to touch me...

"Come tackle me and watch what I do.”