In April, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shocked many at the NFL Draft in Green Bay by selecting wideout Emeka Egbuka with their first pick in the selection show.
Most assumed general manager Jason Licht would take a defensive player, which was thought to be the focus for the team during the draft.
While Licht ended up improving the defense anyway, with later picks, the Egbuka pick is thought of as one of the steals of the 2025 season.
And star receiver Mike Evans, who's fresh off 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons, has been impressed by what he sees so far of the former Ohio State Buckeyes pass catcher.
"I didn't [expect to draft a receiver] either, but you know Jason has always been great in drafts, and we wanted to pick the best players available, and from what I've seen so far, he was definitely the best player available," Evans said on Thursday. "So, looking forward to a great year for him, Emeka."
Evans was Licht's first-ever draft pick back in 2014 when he took over as GM of Tampa Bay. And he's been a significant piece of the Bucs offense ever since. Even after being joined by Chris Godwin in the 2017 draft, the combo have been one of the best tandems in football.
And Evans thinks this is one of the best rooms he's been a part of.
"I know I say it a lot, but this might be the best receiving room I've been a part of," Evans said. "I say that every year, but we always get great players to come in, so that's been very fortunate for me in my career to be around great young players. And they've added to the room tremendously. They're already very polished. Emeka's really strong hands, super smart, Tez is speed, quickness."