Kansas State’s Josh Hayes believes a higher power steered him to Bucs
TAMPA — His uncle is the one who made him believe all this was possible. When you are a kid with big dreams of playing in the NFL, you need someone to help transform that fantasy info fact.
Kansas State defensive back Josh Hayes thought about all the teams that could draft him. It was as random as the prize in the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. Sitting at his home in Lakeland, 45 minutes from where his uncle played, he couldn’t believe that when the call came from an NFL team it contained an 813 area code.
“Just kind of sitting (and) waiting around, (Saturday) started to get a little long for me,” said Hayes, the first of three Bucs sixth-round picks, No. 181 overall. “So, everybody in the house started getting a little loud just hanging out and stuff.
“I went upstairs and turned on the TV (and was) just watching, then the phone started ringing and I saw the 813 and I’m like, ‘Man there’s no way. There is no way’. So, I answered the phone, and I can’t even explain the emotions I felt at that point. Excitement, relief, this is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life, so there’s nothing like it, truthfully.”
Hayes’ uncle is Geno Hayes, the former Florida State star who was drafted in the same round by the Bucs 15 years earlier. Geno played seven seasons as a linebacker in the NFL, the first four with the Bucs before finishing with the Bears and Jaguars. He started 70 of the 101 games he played in the NFL, finishing with 401 tackles, six interceptions, six forced fumbles and a touchdown.
He died of chronic liver disease in 2021 at age 33.
“Once I saw that 813 pop up, and being from Florida and actually having family members that played in Tampa Bay, it was like, God works in mysterious ways,” Josh said. “So, like I said, no better feeling.”
The Bucs have high expectations for Hayes, who played what amounted to six seasons of college football. He played four at North Dakota State, winning three FCS national championships. He entered the transfer portal and played one game at Virginia in 2021 before redshirting with an injury. His final season came at Kansas State, where he had 71 tackles, including 5-1/2 for loss, in helping the Wildcats to a Big 12 title.
Hayes is 24, but the Bucs expect to put his experience to good use as a nickel cornerback.
“We just kept seeing a player that would compete,” said John Spytek, the Bucs’ vice president of player personnel. “(Kansas State) played him at nickel, they played him at safety, he could cover. To me, when you look for DBs, people don’t give enough (credit) … tackling is really important. I mean, we’ve got to get guys on the ground, and he is unafraid to come up and put his face on people and cut people down. He plays with a great energy and a great joy. There is a lot of joy in watching his game. It kind of just jumped off the tape.
Spytek was impressed that Hayes went to the Bucs’ local pro day and worked out.
““A lot of those kids who play at those big programs, they just want to come out and talk to the coaches,” Spytek said. “He was excited to come out and work. He showed up well. He looked quick and fast and twitchy. We had a good meeting with him when he was here, so it was a great visit for him and a smart move for him to come work out for us, because it helped us draft him in the sixth (round) this year.”
At 6-feet-2, 220 pounds, Hayes is an inch taller and maybe five pounds lighter than his uncle. But he takes pride in getting ballcarriers on the ground as one of college football’s better tacklers.
“Firstly, I like to pride myself on my toughness,” Hayes said. “I’m not going to back down from any battle or any person. I don’t care who it is. I think all the Bucs fans are going to get somebody that’s ready to work, of course, but also somebody that’s not afraid of anything or anyone.”
The Bucs lost nickel cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who signed with the Titans as a free agent. Safety Mike Edwards agreed to a contract with the Chiefs. The Bucs are bent on moving Antoine Winfield Jr. back to free safety, where presumably he can make more plays on the ball and stay healthier. Hayes has the size and speed to play multiple positions in Todd Bowles’ defense.
“I think the idea is to probably try him at nickel first,” Spytek said. “Todd is excited about him at nickel and thought he was a great fit there for what we were looking for. Tackling, blitzing — he does all of that really well. Then, safety is always something that they can go play, too. ... He is a nickel that can go back and play safety. He also ran a 4.48(-second 40-yard dash), so we might try him on the outside, too.”
Hayes will have to make an immediate impact on special teams as well. But with 68 games played in college, there isn’t anything he’s not ready to do. “Yeah, I pride myself on being consistent. Consistency is key, and that’s kind of something I got from my uncle,” he said. “So, just trying to be, like I said, the same person every single down. Being able to play at a high level and just give it all I’ve got.”
One more thing about Hayes. He bears a striking, nearly identical, resemblance to his uncle.
“You don’t know how many times I’ve heard that,” he said. “Since I’ve been 10 years old, I’ve heard I look like him. So, it’s kind of cool to be coming in the same building as him.
“He was kind of our role model in that sense. He was the person that as I was growing up, that made me feel like making it to the NFL was possible. He was somebody that I called frequently, and we talked all the time about life, football, and the things that come with it that intertwine together, life and football. So, just being able to balance all that stuff, that’s really what we talked about. ... Hopefully, he’s watching down on me right now smiling.”
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