Emeka Egbuka Talks Mentors Baker Mayfield & Sterling Shepard
June 5th, 2025
Rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Bucs first-round pick Emeka Egbuka is in capable veteran hands.
Is there a better wide receiver incubator in the NFL than what exists in Tampa? No chance. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are selfless franchise icons, and 10th-year man Sterling Shepard is hungry to help young receivers, as is veteran Pro Bowl QB Baker Mayfield.
Today on NFL Network, Egubka talked about how Mayfield and Shepard are there for him — after every throw.
“Kind of after practice, whenever, [Mayfield and I] connect on a pass even if we don’t connect on a pass,” Egbuka said.
“We’re always learning ways to grow and get better. He’s always giving me nuggets to analyze defenses and how to, you know, and kind of change my route and all that type of stuff. So it’s a very cerebral approach when it comes to our conversations on the field.”
As for Shepard, Egbuka painted him as a true mentor.
“Every time I come back from running a route — or maybe I ran a good route or if I didn’t run a so-good route — Sterling is one of the first ones to tell me,” Egbuka said. “And we’ll watch it together on film post-practice, and we’re always studying the game.”
Egbuka added that he get lots of “tips and advice” from all the Bucs’ veteran receivers.
Joe expects a healthy load of targets for Egbuka this season, even if Chris Godwin is healthy.