In May, Emeka Egbuka was viewed as a "luxury pick" by a team with an already talent-laden roster, especially at the receiver position. By the early days of October, it's clear that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would not be tied for the best record in the NFL without their decision to tab the Ohio State wide receiver with the 19th-overall selection in the 2025 draft.
Egbuka started his NFL career by catching the game-winning touchdown in Atlanta in a 23-20 thriller, and he has yet to slow down. In Week Five, he had his best game yet as a professional (there is a loooong way to go), catching seven passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in a stunning 38-35 road win over the Seattle Seahawks. His exploits included a 20-yard touchdown grab on third-and-15, a 57-yard snag at the Seahawks' two-yard line that set up another touchdown and a key 25-yard catch-and-run in the Bucs' clutch two-minute drill to tie the game. He is the first rookie in NFL history with at least 25 catches, 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the first five games of his career.
The man delivering the football to this rookie phenom, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield is convinced. Egbuka is not just special, he's one of a kind. Asked if he'd every seen another receiver land in the NFL so ready to dominate, Mayfield didn't hesitate with his answer.
"Never," Mayfield said, then repeated himself. "Never. He's kind of one of one."
Egbuka, who grew up in Tacoma, Washington and had a contingent of family and friends in the stands to cheer him on, is the first Buccaneer ever to reach the end zone five times in his first five games. His precise route-running is essential to his production, such as the sharp fake out he made before going vertical on his touchdown catch. He also processes information at a rate uncommon for rookies, and has the ability to put that information to practical use during a game. That was the case on his 57-yarder in the third quarter, also on a third-and-long play, that set up Rachaad White's second touchdown run.
"Yeah, something we talked about pregame in the locker room, on these 3rd-and-little-bit-extra-long looks, we have a certain coverage of, 'Hey, if they run it, take the top off, because the corner is expecting help', and he did just that. Obviously protection was unbelievable on that. I'm able to probably triple-hitch it. I don't know what it was. [I've] got to get in the weight room, though, so he can run under it in the end zone, but yeah, just "Mek" being a smart football player, taking things we talked about in the locker room before and take it to the game field and being able to react and do it well.
Mayfield has thrived since joining the Buccaneers, his fourth NFL team, in 2023. His two touchdown passes in the win in Seattle increased his total to 79 in a Tampa Bay uniform, tied for the most in the NFL in that span. His overstuffed stat line has surely been helped by the opportunity to play with such great receivers as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. But with all three of those players missing significant time due to injury, Mayfield has found a new number one, at least for now, in Egbuka, the rookie who already seems like a seasoned vet.
"He's well-rounded and not just in football, in life," said Mayfield. "I think he's grounded, and I think he's just genuine in everything he does. He's intentional. You just don't see that often, and especially as a rookie with the talent that he has, you really don't see it often."
