Rookie Emeka Egbuka 'Raises The Standard' In First Practices Of Buccaneers Camp

TAMPA, Fla. — First, it was a leaping grab in front of the goalpost in the back of the end zone.

Then it was a toe-tap touchdown in the back right corner for another touchdown.

Each day of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp seems to bring another head-turning play for rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, and the only thing as consistent is the unmitigated praise from teammates and coaches.

“You can put Emeka in anywhere,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said last week. “It really is the truth, It is fun to be able to have a guy like that, who is that intelligent, does not act like a rookie. His head is not spinning. He’s able to do it and handle it the right way. It raises the standard for everybody else. When you have a rookie coming in, learning the offense for the first time, and pushes everybody else around. So it’s great to have somebody like that.”

Egbuka was something of a surprise pick when the Bucs selected him out of Ohio State with the 19th overall pick in April, if only because Tampa Bay had positional needs elsewhere and receiver was already perhaps the Bucs’ most talented position. But with Chris Godwin still not practicing as he recovers from a broken ankle last season, Egbuka has a chance to be an immediate contributor, and is drawing comparisons to Godwin, on the field and off.

“He looks like a running back, but I mean, he catches like Chris Godwin,” receiver Mike Evans said. “He’s a very polished, very well-rounded player.”

Emeka Egbuka looks on in the distance as he’s vying to get playing time in a wide receiver room that includes Mike Evans (left) and Jalen McMillan (far right), while Chris Godwin recovers from his season-ending injury last year. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Egbuka’s body type is close to Godwin’s — the rookie is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, and Godwin is 6-1, 209, both willing blockers in addition to reliable hands and crisp routes. Godwin has worked closely with Egbuka, often standing next to him at practice, imparting wisdom and building a bond between the 29-year-old vet and the 22-year-old rookie.

“He’s been an absolute godsend to me,” Egbuka said Monday of Godwin. “On the sideline, staying in my ear constantly — whether it’s route running, technique or blocking technique, savviness or learning the playbook, whatever the case may be. Even if it’s just about life, I can ask him any question, and I’m getting to know him personally as well. We’re becoming really close friends and I don’t think I could’ve been drafted to a better team, better situation.”

The Bucs had a loaded receiver room already. In addition to the familiar 1-2 punch of Evans and Godwin, they bring back last year’s third-round pick, Jalen McMillan, who led the NFL in touchdown catches in the final five weeks of 2024 in Godwin’s absence. Tampa Bay had a top-five offense last year with Mayfield throwing for 41 touchdowns and 4,500 yards, and the additions of Egbuka and seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson could help the Bucs be even more prolific this season.

“I don’t know if anything has surprised me, but just how calm he is with everything,” coach Todd Bowles of Egbuka’s quick learning this summer on Monday. “He’s so intelligent and he’s very competitive. He wants to do things right all the time. I tell him he doesn’t have to do everything right, but just play football. He’s been very good at that. He’s playing faster and he looks like the guy we drafted. I have no complaints.”

Evans said this year’s Bucs receivers might be the most talented group he’s ever played with, an incredible statement considering the 2021 group that Tom Brady threw to had Evans, Godwin, Antonio Brown and Julio Jones. Egbuka is used to thriving in deep, talented receiving rooms — at Ohio State, he left as the Buckeyes’ career leader in catches and receiving yards, despite playing with future NFL stars like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as a future star in Jeremiah Smith.

Emeka Egbuka (left) is no stranger to playing in talented wide receiver rooms, playing alongside Jeremiah Smith (right) last season after spending time with future NFL stars at Ohio State. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

One of the benefits of drafting Egbuka was that the Bucs feel less of a need to rush Godwin back — he missed the final 10 games of 2024 and still hasn’t practiced, putting his status for the start of the season in jeopardy. Egbuka could open the season as the team’s second option behind Evans, and he’s had easily the biggest buzz of any player on either side of the ball in the first week of training camp.

Some of the highest praise for Egbuka has come off the field with how well he’s already mastered the playbook, understanding all three receiver positions like a seasoned pro. Johnson called him a “human computer” for his ability to process and remember alignments and play calls, and teammates have already seen how self-driven he is, even in the first week of practice.

“My entire life, ever since I have been playing sports, I have never needed external motivation,” Egbuka said Monday. “There is just something innate in me that makes me drive with everything just a little bit more. I am an overachiever and a perfectionist to the Nth degree, but I think part of that has led me to get here. Just keeping that same mindset and not getting complacent and hopefully I can hang onto that mindset and chase that for years to come.”

Egbuka has already earned Mayfield’s trust, and a key to the next month is building that chemistry, so the quarterback has much confidence in throwing to him as he does all the returning receivers he’s spent the last year or two with.

“It’s coming along great,” Egbuka said. “Obviously, [Mayfield] is a seasoned veteran and knows what he is talking about so it’s just about being on the same page with him. I think a lot of that chemistry comes from me knowing what I’m doing. Learning the playbook, knowing every spot so he can know that I’m going to be where I’m expected to be at any given moment and over time, as he’s watching film and we’re watching film and we’re creating that chemistry, he will be able to trust me more and more.”

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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