Bucs bring in Emeka Egbuka with No. 19 selection

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 19th overall.

Egbuka joins Tampa Bay after being part of the Buckeyes' national championship-winning team last season. The 22-year-old recorded two 1,000-yard campaigns in his final three years at Ohio State.

The Buccaneers inject some youth into an established receiving corps that will be headlined by stars Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Egbuka is the first receiver Tampa Bay has used a first-round selection on since taking Evans in 2014.

Egbuka will compete alongside Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard for targets in 2025.

Pre-draft profile

Egbuka is the latest in a long line of outstanding Ohio State receiver prospects. He's a nuanced route-runner who has a knack for easily creating separation at all levels of the field. He's got strong hands at the catch point, the body control to make difficult adjustments, and he'll work back to the ball to make things easier on his quarterback. Egbuka is also a tough and creative runner after the catch, always giving himself a chance for extra yardage. While he's not the most sudden athlete and his overall profile could limit him almost exclusively to the slot, that's more a question of fit than value in today's game. He can be a high-volume impact receiver from that area, and his willingness to get involved as a run-blocker only furthers his potential for impact. Egbuka doesn't have many holes in his game. He could be a Pro Bowler sooner rather than later.