GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT, HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES & WIDE RECEIVER EMEKA EGBUKA

(Opening Statement)

Jason Licht: "We're super excited to have Emeka here with Henry – his dad – his mom Rhonda, and Eric. It's always a good day when you pick your first-round pick and the next day you're introducing him and Todd [Bowles] and myself and our staffs just feel so rock solid about the person and the player. There were a lot of teams that wanted him, so I'm glad we didn't try to get cute and move back and get other picks, because we wouldn't have ended up here today with [Emeka]. It's also awesome as a GM to have a head coach that's a defensive-minded person that is running up the hill with his name, saying, 'We've got to draft this guy.' It made it a lot easier. Without further ado, I'll introduce Emeka and let [him] talk to the media here."

(Opening Statement)

Emeka Egbuka: "I'm excited to be here, excited to meet all you guys, and I'm honestly ready to get started."

(On what Head Coach Todd Bowles sees when he watches WR Emeka Egbuka's film)

Todd Bowles: "[He is the] total package. He's a playmaker, he can play all three positions – he plays in the slot, he plays the 'Z,' he plays the 'X,' he can run with the ball, he can throw the ball, he can catch the ball, he's a very good route runner, he's a winner, he makes contested catches, he's a very precise route runner as well, has a lot of speed at the same time, he blocks at the same time…He checks all of the boxes as a player and as a person. That made it an easy choice."

(On what the last 24 hours have been like for WR Emeka Egbuka)

EE: "It's been a little bit of a whirlwind. I got the call – I was on pacific standard time – so I got the call around 7:15 p.m. and celebrated with my friends and family and all nine million people who were celebrating with me at my draft party. The night didn't really stop – we were all really excited. Then, we got up early this morning to catch a flight and now I'm here."

(On what Egbuka believes his strengths and weaknesses are)

EE: "I believe one strength that I've always had that I've [taken] a lot of pride in was ball tracking and catching the ball. I think there's never been a ball in the air that I felt like was a difficult catch or that I couldn't track. I have an extensive baseball background so I think that's helped me out a lot – playing centerfield and stuff like that. So, ball in the air, I feel very comfortable with it at all angles. I think that's something I've always been really good at. Then, as far as improving myself at the next level, I think that I'm a very good and willing blocker but I think sometimes I have a tendency to hop or cross over or get over-excited about getting to block so, having a better base and continuing to work and strain in that area."

(On Egbuka drawing comparisons to other wide receivers Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Chris Godwin)

EE: "I think when you think about those players, they're kind of the type of guys that are always open – great route-running, high football IQ, very accountable. I welcome those comparisons. I feel like all three of the people you just named are very, very good football players. Especially just being able to learn from Chris [Godwin]…I know a lot of people have made comparisons with me and him and now me being here in Tampa, just the kind of character he has, from what I hear – high IQ, high work ethic, that's something I strive to be in the NFL. I strive to have a career like he's had. I think being able to learn underneath him…I'm excited to be able to establish that relationship."

(On Egbuka being the next Ohio State wide receiver to be drafted in the first round and continue the school's lineage)

EE: "It's amazing. We have a certain standard at Ohio State, especially in the wide receiver room, that we're going to continue to uphold year-in and year-out. It just felt kind of like my duty and my obligation to do what I did throughout my career. The standard is the same for all of the younger guys and they know what it is. I wouldn't be surprised if you see a couple of breakout years [or] a couple guys do some amazing things. Obviously, we have a young cat who is doing it at a very high level right now, but we also have some other guys who I think are going to wow some people in the upcoming years."

(On what drew Head Coach Todd Bowles to want to draft WR Emeka Egbuka)

TB: "Again, the character of the guy – the character of the man, especially, tells you a lot about the player. It's very rare that you have the character and the player match up. There [are] a lot of good ones in the league right now, but when you meet the rare ones that have both and [are] equally great at both, that tells you all you need to know. Whether he's an offensive player or a defensive player, that's the kind of guy you want to draft. Me and Jason [Licht] were on the same page wholeheartedly with this one."

(On which characteristics in particular stand out from WR Emeka Egbuka)

TB: "His work ethic and the way he goes about his business. You can tell a person by how he goes about his business – the little things he gets good at tell you a lot about him off the field, as well. I've seen him a few times off the field here and there that he doesn't know about that I've seen him, but I have seen him. All of that kind of tied into it. Jason [Licht] does extensive homework on him, the scouts did a heck of a job doing their homework on him. Everyone was on the same page."

(On which players Egbuka likes to watch film of)

EE: "Honestly, there isn't a specific person I model my game after. I fell in love with football, yes, but the position of playing wide receiver and the art of it from a very young age. I was always studying every single receiver. I think that if you're watching film on some of the best in the game, you're kind of naïve to think that you can't learn from everyone. I don't take one specific person and try to take from each of their games. I think that I can learn from everyone who's doing it at a very high level and try to implement parts of their game. There's not really anybody that I watch that I don't learn from."

(On Egbuka playing multiple sports from a young age)

EE: "I think just being super competitive has always been something that I've been really fond of. From a young age, sports offers you that. I continued with it throughout my career when it came to football, baseball and basketball. I think I started to separate myself even from a very young age and I was really good at all three sports [and] kind of narrowed it down to baseball and football. I was even considering being dual sport in college and stuff like that. Baseball ended up making its way out of my life by life's means – it just happened that way – but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for football. I remember my first time ever getting on the field – everyone started playing football in first grade, all of my friends and stuff like that. I didn't necessarily start playing in first grade because I had to convince my parents that the contact wasn't going to be an issue. I think I was nagging them so hard that by second grade, I was on the field with everybody. I remember in my first game, I scored like a 90-yard touchdown and I was just standing in the end zone and all my friends were running up to me. That feeling was like no other, so I've kind of just been chasing that my entire life."

(On what it means to Egbuka to be able to represent his family)

EE: "This accomplishment is as much theirs as it is mine. They've done a phenomenal job raising me, setting the standard of what it is to be a person of high character and high integrity. Driving me to practices when I was growing up…I played all three sports so it wasn't like it was just one season, I was constantly on the go. Offseason programs and stuff like that, it was rare when I didn't have at least two practices a day. They've sacrificed so much for me to be able to get to this point. Especially as the years go on, my mom is telling me about the prices of all this travel stuff for my younger siblings. She said it was like ten thousand dollars for my sister's volleyball. It really putting into perspective for me now, all of the things that they've done to help me get to this point."

(On Egbuka's mental approach to the game of football and his drive to continue to improve himself)

EE: "I think that one of the most unfortunate things about football is that no one is immune to aging. I've had to watch some of my favorite players of all time retire – Julio Jones being one of them, more recently. I've always marveled the guys who, no matter how old they got, no matter how much slower they got – wide receivers specifically – they're still getting open, they're still having huge impacts on the game. I've always sought to see what the difference in their game was and it always ended up being the IQ for me. Understanding route running, leverages, zone coverages, man coverages, all of that type of stuff – that was really the separating factor. I like to pride myself on being the smartest player on the field, because I know it's going to carry me a long way."

(On where Head Coach Todd Bowles sees WR Emeka Egbuka playing in this offense)

TB: "He can do all three [positions] and we see him at all three so he's going to play all three. He's going to learn all three. Like he just said, he prides himself as a football player and being the smartest on the field. That allows him to learn all three positions and there's enough ball to go around for everybody."

(On Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline mentioning WR Emeka Egbuka's first B grade in a class and what keeps Egbuka driven and self-motivated)

EE: "That's kind of been a question I've been asking myself since I was younger too. I'm not entirely sure where it comes from. I think there's a lot of people who have external motivations when it comes to football, whether they come from not the best background or they're trying to provide for their families. My parents have done an a amazing job of making a life for me and my siblings that we don't really need to do anything extra but it's always been something internal that I've always wanted for myself. You know, a lot of people have other people motivating them. I like to joke that sometimes my parents are trying to hold me back because they're like, 'You've already done three practices today. Do you need to work out tonight?' It was kind of like I look at them like, 'I have to. It's an obligation I have.' So I think that it's always been something that's hardwired in me. I don't know exactly where it comes from but I would just say I've always been very ambitious."

(On what the class was that WR Egbuka received his first B grade in)

EE: "It was [precalculus]."

(On if it was a big temperature difference when Egbuka arrived in Tampa)

EE: "Oh yeah. It was different. I grew up in Seattle, Washington, where it's not freezing, but it doesn't get super hot and then Ohio, obviously, those winters can hit hard so I've never really played in somewhere with too high of humidity. I played in Florida a couple of times growing up but those were kind of one-offs. It's not something I've spent multiple years in so definitely an adjustment that I'm going to be ready to make."

(On if Egbuka has had a chance to talk with wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon yet)

EE: "Yeah, I just met with him not too long ago. I've actually known him since I was in high school. He spent a short amount of time in Oregon and obviously, me being from the Pacific Northwest, they were trying to recruit me heavy there so I've known him for a long time. I didn't end up playing with him in college but I'm excited to be able to further our relationship here and I know the great offensive mind that he has and just the knack that he has for coaching wide receivers so I'm excited to get started."

(On Bowles having a previous connection with Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline)

TB: "It was great. He was the first one to text me after we drafted him and tell me how great a guy I got and how great a player I had. I've been with Brian for quite a while now. We know each other pretty [well] and to have that reassurance and him text you right afterwards, for a coach, that's huge. I coached him – tells me my age [laughs], but having him playing for me and then coaching [Egbuka] and getting confirmation on what kind of work ethic and player he is was refreshing."

(On why it was important to use the first-round pick on WR Emeka Egbuka)

TB: "Well, you draft the best player. We were picking at No. 19, the value was so high on the player. There's still more draft to go today and tomorrow so we have five more picks right now that we have to make to get somebody on defense. We drafted the best player and a premium. We drafted an offensive player and if you can score a lot of points, you're going to win a lot of games. We'll take care of the defense in the next couple days and when we have the opportunity."

(On how Licht sees WR Emeka Egbuka fitting in with the humble group of wide receivers in Tampa Bay)

JL: "I think you're kind of answering the question. I think he fits right in. It's going to be seamless. I see from day one that it's going to be like they've worked together for a long time. He had a unique group at Ohio State, which was the same thing and it didn't matter how many of them there were, they're all going to compete. They're all going to cheer each other on, they're all hoping for the best for each of them. I see it being the same here, you know, just a fit in the locker room in general with our team. He's going to add to it. Todd and I want to bring in players, and our staff – Mike [Biehl], Rob [McCartney], the whole scouts – players that add to the culture, and he does."

(On how hard it is for Licht to acquire a skill position on the open market and why it's so valuable to get them when he has the chance)

JL: "Players like Chris [Godwin] and Mike [Evans], 'J-Mac' (Jalen McMillan) and Emeka [Egbuka], they're unicorns. We're lucky to have them all right now. It's very difficult. We're just fortunate to have them and very fortunate to be in a position where we were able to get them. We'll worry about keeping him later, one step at a time."

(On if Bowles has had a chance to talk to QB Baker Mayfield)

TB: "I haven't talked to him since we drafted Emeka but I'm sure I'll text him this week."

(On what offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard's reaction was to the draft pick of WR Emeka Egbuka)

TB: "He's doing back flips right now [laughs]."

(On if Egbuka has spoken to WR's Jalen McMillan, Chris Godwin, or Mike Evans yet)

EE: "Yeah, very briefly I spoke to Jalen last night. He just shot me a quick text and I texted him back. He was just congratulating me and we're excited to be able to work together. We've always been playing against each other growing up, you know, rivals on 7-on-7 teams, but now we get to be teammates so it's going to be amazing. I didn't really get a chance to reach out to Mike or Chris yet but I know that's going to come here soon."

(On WR Jalen McMillan's impact this past season excites Egbuka for his opportunities to do the same as a rookie)

EE: "It excites me, but I wouldn't say it surprises me. He is a very dynamic athlete. I've watched him, like I said, since we were growing up. He has crazy top-end speed, ball tracking, all of the above. He's a big play maker so I think him coming on later in the season is something that I kind of expected, especially when they called his number when Chris [Godwin] went down so knowing that that opportunity is there – honestly, whatever my coaches ask of me I'm going to be able to do. Whatever my job description ends up being, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability."