Former Nevada wide receiver Jaden Smith took part in two rookie minicamps hoping to make an impression on NFL teams.
That seems to have worked.
Smith signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday and joined the team’s ongoing training camp. Smith spent rookie minicamp in Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Smith is the 13th wideout on the Bucs’ training camp roster.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Smith spent one season with the Wolf Pack, leading the team with 62 catches for 849 yards and seven touchdowns last year after stints at Montana State and Tarleton State. He was All-Mountain West honorable mention. In 45 games with those three programs, he caught 138 passes for 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns. Nevada head coach Jeff Choate originally signed Smith when he was Montana State’s head coach before adding him as a transfer at Nevada last year.
Smith becomes the second player from Nevada’s 2025 team on an NFL roster in training camp, joining safety Kitan Crawford, a seventh-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals. He’s the second Wolf Pack alum to sign with an NFL team since training camp started as running back Toa Taua agreed to a deal with the Cleveland Browns over the weekend. Thee are now 17 players with Northern Nevada ties in training camp.
Tampa Bay also signed Owen Wright on Wednesday while waiving safety Marcus Banks and running back D.J. Williams to make room for the pair of additions.