Emeka Egbuka is broken down by receiving great.
The eighth-leading receiver in NFL history with (14,731 yards) wasn’t a Pro Fooball Hall of Fame finalist this year.
Mike Evans fans might not like hearing that about former Panthers and Ravens star Steve Smith.
These days, Smith is a busy man in NFL media and in his study of receivers on his 89 With Steve Smith podcast.
Last week, Smith took a deep dive on Bucs receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Smith said he’s done a lot of homework on Egbuka including last season in Tampa and before the 2025 deraft.
“Emeka Egbuka brought from Ohio State University is he is a quarterback-friendly route runner. That was who he was; that’s who he is. I’ve talked to several people down there … ” Smith said.
Smith called Egubka a guy who acts like a “savvy vet” and he explained, “meaning he is seen, rarely heard. He goes about his business the right way. He’s early in, late out. He is going through his routes. He walks through his routes.”
Interestingly, Smith compared Egbuka to Panthers Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly. Smith said Kuechly grilling him on keys to success during their Day 1 meeting in the Panthers’ locker room. He said Egbuka, he’s been told, is the same kind of guy that’s always hungry to “become special.”
Yes, Egubka’s play fell off in the second half of the season, but Smith chalked that up to adjustments, changes in role and drops that he’s not worried about.
In fact, Smith says the film shows Egbuka showed stunning coordination and football eyes, among other traints, “creating free access, goes up and high points the fooball, goes up in traffic, does a lot of great things you’d expect a veteran would be doing.”
Bucs fans should be confident Egbuka will be a special player in 2026, he said.
“Yes, he’s had some drops, but you also look at some of the catches he’s had, some of the hits he’s taken and held on to the football. So, there is a little bit of give and take and understanding that there is sometimes a reason why, and I don’t really look at his drops as a huge concern for me,” Smith said.
“Just watching his body of work and how he’s doing it as a rookie, I just see so much tremendous upside that, you know, what’s transpired for this season, it’s gone. But I expect for him to keep going and if it he’s averaging 8 or 9 drops every year, then yes. But I just don’t see him having those drops” next season.