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Why Drafting Emeka Egbuka Was Damn Smart

May 31st, 2025

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka.

Joe understands there are still some diehards out there angry with Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht for drafting Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 and not a damaged goods inside linebacker or a reach of a safety.

Joe gets it. And dang if Joe can’t find these stats again, but Joe read what Bucs passing and receiving advanced stats were when both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both our for a four-game stretch midseason (so too was Jamel Dean) when the Bucs went 0-4 and damn new blew their chances at the playoffs.

Those numbers were downright ugly.

As frightening as it may be, follicly-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN noticed the same drop off as Joe read. And he added some numbers as to why the Bucs really did need receiver help, even with a Hall of Fame receiver and a Pro Bowl receiver on the roster.

None of Tampa’s wide receivers or tight ends played a full 17-game slate last season, and perhaps the Egbuka addition is a nod to that experience. While Mike Evans’ combination of size and skill set as a vertical receiver is unique, the Bucs don’t have to be reliant on any one player on offense. They have the depth to weather injuries and a group of receivers versatile enough to move around the formation and fill any role. Egbuka has received raves for his all-around game and professional readiness, but the Bucs don’t need him to be an immediately impactful receiver. They don’t need Godwin to hit the ground running after a serious injury. Egbuka might be considered a luxury pick given some of the needs this team had elsewhere on the roster, but if the Bucs have him as their top receiver in midseason [with Evans and Godwin injured] instead of Otton and Sterling Shepard, do they beat a Chiefs team that they took to overtime?

If the Bucs had gone for two near the end of regulation in Kansas City, yes.

But Joe gets Barnwell’s point. Now Joe must preface the following: It is underwear football. And there have been receivers (none first rounders) who tore up the Bucs practice fields in underwear football and transformed into nothing but camp meat when the pads came on.

So far, Egbuka is getting a lot of snaps with the first team. He appears smooth, with a quicker burst than advertised. And he seems to be developing a nice rapport with Baker Mayfield.

All good in late May.

At worst, Egbuka is insurance for Evans and Godwin. At best, he’s a real weapon that helps thin out defenses and forces defensive coordinators to game plan for him.