It was a bit of a surprise when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted to select Emeka Egbuka with their first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bucs already had Mike Evans and Chris Godwin returning before the draft took place but they decided to go with the best player on their board and continue bolstering the offense.
Baker Mayfield had to be loving the pick and he's still psyched about his newest weapon joining the fun in Tampa Bay. While speaking to the media during minicamp, Mayfield couldn't help but praise Egbuka, noting that his new teammate is "so smart".
"The thing that sticks out is how cerebral he is. He's so smart. Right now I think we could plug and play him at any receiver spot."
Baker Mayfield is loving what he's seeing from Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka was an absolute stud during his collegiate years with the Ohio State Buckeyes, tallying over 1,000 yards in two of his four seasons and crossing the double-digit touchdown mark in two seasons as well. This past year he was a driving force in helping the Buckeyes win the National Championship and the Bucs are hoping he can bring that same winning mentality to Tampa.
It's not as though the Bucs were hurting at wide receiver even before Egbuka was brought in. Not only did they have Evans and Godwin returning for another year, but Sterling Shephard, Trey Palmer, and Jalen McMillan are nice depth pieces to have as well. Egbuka just adds to the firepower Mayfield has at his disposal and it's a nice problem to have for sure.
If Mayfield is already noticing how smart Egbuka is and how he could slot in at any receiver spot, that just proves that Jason Licht made the right decision in drafting the Ohio State product. Anyone who can help the Bucs get closer to competing for a Super Bowl is the right pick and it's already looking like this guy was 100% the right pick.