Makes an impression.
Watching Bucs underwear football Tuesday morning, Joe witnessed something he hasn’t seen in a while. It gave Joe the warms.
Back in 2014, the Bucs drafted a lanky receiver by the name of Mike Evans. Whatever happened to that guy?
Anyway, in his rookie minicamp practice that spring, Evans made a crazy catch where Evans looked like he bounced off a trampoline, skying high over defenders to pluck a pass out of the air like he was picking an orange off a tree.
Joe can still see that catch in his head. You know right away this Evans was different.
Well Tuesday, Joe witnessed something similar from another Bucs rookie, only this guy’s name is Emeka Egbuka, the Bucs’ first round pick from Ohio State.
This catch, while stunning, wasn’t quite as spectacular as Evans’ catch in his rookie minicamp. Still, Egbuka’s grab was very impressive.
With Mike Evans not at the OTA session and Chris Godwin sidelined, Egbuka got a lot of snaps with the first team offense, guided by Baker Mayfield.
On the play in question, Egbuka was 15 yards or so down the left sideline. He was in a crowd. Jamel Dean had good coverage on him.
Mayfield throws the ball high. Joe isn’t sure if Mayfield was trying to throw it away or just putting the ball in a spot where only Egbuka had a shot at it.
Regardless, Egbuka rose in the air, high above Bucs defenders, and came down with the ball. Very, very impressive.
Joe often refers to Egbuka as a Godwin clone but Joe isn’t sure he’s seen Godwin sky like Mike (Evans or Jordan) to pull down a throw like that.
That wasn’t the only play Joe saw from Egbuka that made an impression. Like he did in rookie minicamp, Egbuka is a smooth receiver. Always finds ways to get open.
Another play that stuck in Joe’s mind was a catch over the middle from Mayfield, maybe 15-20 out. Egbuka, shoulders square to the line, made the catch. Then, in the snap of a finger, the dude was racing upfield.
The speed in which Egbuka went from facing Mayfield and the line of scrimmage to tearing it upfield the moment he controlled the ball was very impressive.
If that is a normal move for Egbuka, there aren’t too many linebackers or safeties that will be able to keep up with him.
Egbuka going from flat-footed to throwing it into overdrive and racing upfield was something you’d expect to see from the “Waco Kid.”
Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles (1974) shows why you shouldn't mess with him. pic.twitter.com/WTyHAo3JIk
— Stephen Gibbons (@Gibboanxious) July 27, 2024