By: J.T. Olsen – Bucs Report Special to Sports Talk Florida.
With the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. This was a pick that was admittedly surprising; not on my radar here at all. However, that has nothing to do with how good of a player he is, just that I didn’t expect this team to take a wide receiver in the first round.
However, drafting a wide receiver in the first round is exactly what they did. After taking some time to adjust to that fact, we all have to step back and evaluate this pick in a vacuum for what it is. What type of player did the Bucs just draft?
In short, they drafted a really good one. Egbuka was ranked as the 21st overall player on my draft board and was a consensus first round talent. Here are some basics to help you get to know the Buccaneers first round pick.
Egbuka does most of his damage out of the slot. Think of players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua and of course Chris Godwin. These are the types of players who are comparable.
The hands are fantastic. He catches everything and keeps the chains moving. You would expect as much from the guy who had the most receptions in the history of Ohio State University history.
What allows him to get to so many passes is his excellent body control. I don’t care if the pass is behind him or if it’s low or whatever; there’s a good chance that Egbuka will grab it. His catch radius is fantastic and much bigger than you’d expect from a guy who is just shy of 6’1.
As you might expect, Egbuka does a lot of his work over the middle. He can make the gritty contested catches in traffic and well as threaten the safety deep. His speed might not be fantastic (running a 4.48 40 yard dash), but he has a knack for threatening the safety on deep corner routes.
One thing that stands out about Egbuka is his route running. Specifically his ability to find the soft spot in a zone defense. He’ll be a 22 year old rookie, but the way he finds open space you’d think he was a ten year veteran.
Beyond just his ability on the field, Egbuka is a very high character player. He was a team captain last year on the national championship winning Buckeyes team. He’s also an iron man who started his last 40 consecutive games at Ohio State and was a multi time All Conference scholar athlete.
Egbuka brings so many things to this Buccaneers offense. Toughness, intelligence, and one of the most consistent playmakers in recent memory. This is someone who compliments what the Bucs have in place currently, but it is also someone who can lead this offense in a few years.
This might not be the defender that everyone was picturing for the Bucs, but this is a great pick. Don’t be surprised if Egbuka is considered one of the best slot receivers in the NFL this time next year. He is a plug and play difference maker who knows how to win a championship.
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Emeka Egbuka’s College Accolades
- CFP national champion (2024)
- Second-team All-Big Ten (2022)
- 2× third-team All-Big Ten (2023, 2024)
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