Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Trey Palmer in sixth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer has been selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was taken with the No. 191 overall pick.

Palmer, a Louisiana native, spent his first three years of college at LSU before transferring to Nebraska. With the Tigers, Palmer played in 28 games from 2019-2021. He was a member of the 2019 national championship team that finished the year 15-0.

He had 41 catches for 458 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 188 punt return yards and 394 kick return yards.

During his one season at Nebraska, Palmer had 71 receptions for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns. The 1,043 yards are the most by one player in a season in Nebraska history. He was named All-Big Ten second team by the media an All-Big Ten third team by the coaches for the season.

His biggest game of the season came against Purdue when he caught seven passes for a team-record 237 yards plus two touchdowns. He also had a 60-yard rush.

At the 2023 NFL Combine, Palmer had the top 40-yard dash time by a wide receiver and fourth-best time overall at 4.33 seconds. The only players ahead of him were Michigan cornerback DJ Turner, Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett and Texas A&M running back Devon Achane.

Palmer was a highly-regarded recruit out of Kentwood (La.) High. He was the No. 86 overall recruit and No. 16 wide receiver in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking. The On3 Industry is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services. The On3 Industry Ranking is the most advanced, complete and unbiased rating and ranking measurement in the industry. 

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Trey Palmer

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein highlighted the speed and explosiveness of Palmer as a wide receiver prospect but added that he needs to improve other parts of his game.

“Former five-star recruit who made a name for himself at Nebraska after leaving LSU,” Zierlein wrote in his scouting report on Palmer. “Palmer’s route running is raw, but coachable. He’s an athletic mover with good leaping ability and a quiet engine that can unleash a big second gear to chase the deep throw. Getting Palmer to play to his top speed and with a consistent competitiveness will be the challenge, as his ball skills are below average. The athleticism and speed will be tempting on Day 3, but his upside could be limited.