Bucs' first round draft pick honestly doesn't make sense for a team trying to break into the NFC's elite tier
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is officially in and Jason Licht and Co. have decided to take Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in with the 19th overall selection.It's quite the decision, as Mike Evans is still playing at a Pro Bowl level, Chris Godwin just signed a three-year, […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is officially in and Jason Licht and Co. have decided to take Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in with the 19th overall selection.
It's quite the decision, as Mike Evans is still playing at a Pro Bowl level, Chris Godwin just signed a three-year, $66 million deal, and Jalen McMillan capped off his rookie year on a streak few rookie wideouts have ever seen before.
It's clearly a luxury pick, even if Evans has just one year left on his current deal. It's also going to be hard to get all four guys on the field at the same time, as four-wide formations are scarcely ran.
In totality, it's a bit of a head-scratcher when considering the fact the Bucs have much bigger needs at other positions and they are also trying to break into the NFC's elite tier after four-straight division titles.
Egbuka is the definition of a luxury pick and it'll be intriguing to see how he fits into the Bucs offense
Honestly, the move makes one wonder where Chris Godwin really is when it comes to the timeline regarding his injury recovery. The situation seems to be on track and Egbuka gives the Bucs an insurance policy in case there are any setbacks or in case Godwin gets hurt again.
And let's be honest: Both Godwin and Evans have a tendency to miss some amount of time due to whatever type of injury. The Bucs offense is also the backbone of the team, so it makes sense to keep the machine as oiled as possible.
But again, new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is going to have his hands full when it comes to figuring out how to deploy the Bucs' new receiver quartet. Tampa Bay can't simply run 10 personnel or 01 personnel on a consistent basis. It'll be quite the challenge for the first-time OC.
However, if he can figure it out, then Baker Mayfield and the Bucs' passing attack will be unstoppable.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes Scouting Report
Age: 22 (10/14/2002)
A to Z Sports Draft Projection: No. 20 overall, Round 1
Scouting Report: No one can be trusted to be an early leader more than Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day tabbed Egbuka as another coach-like presence on the sideline when Egbuka was just a true freshman. Egbuka embodies toughness, proving to be a nasty run blocker despite having the athleticism and explosiveness to play a more finesse style. He may have never been WR1 for Ohio State as he shared targets with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith, but Egbuka did post two 1000-yard seasons. He was also the top ranked receiver out of the 2021 recruiting class. – Ian Valentino, A to Z College Football
Career Projection: Immediate Quality Starter
Final Word
Todd Bowles said during the league meetings that he wouldn't pass up on a good offensive player, no matter how many needs the Bucs had on defense and he certainly lived up to his word. At the same time however, the Bucs passed up on guys like Jihaad Campbell, Will Johnson, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and plenty of others that would've made more sense and probably would've had a better shot of making a bigger impact in 2025, regardless of injury concern.
