The Bucs' best offensive playmaker, Emeka Egbuka, was disrespected big-time in the PFF top 101 players of 2025. His name was kept off the list entirely, despite his elite rookie campaign. This is the second time that Egbuka has been snubbed recently from recognition he truly earned.
The Buccaneers' 2025 first-round pick posted 938 yards and 6 touchdowns on 63 receptions during his rookie campaign. Despite having similar numbers to offensive rookie of the year winner Tetarioa McMillan, he finished well behind the Panthers receiver in OROY voting.
Once again, Egbuka finds himself well behind the rival receiver. McMillan was listed at 60th in this list, well above players who outproduced him big time, like James Cook, Chris Olave, and Davante Adams.
The McMillan vs Egbuka debate is much more lopsided in the media than in reality. The two produced eerily similar numbers as rookies, but McMillan continues to distance himself as the better receiver in the media, when it's simply not true.
Emeka Egbuka was snubbed in a major way once again after PFF's top 101 players revealed
Let's take a statistical approach to this argument. Pro Football Reference gives a single-number to each player every year to determine their value based on production. Both McMillan and Egbuka have the same number. Their yards per game numbers are similar, their touchdown production, and even their receptions per game.
Even their drop rate is similar. The biggest statistical deficit between these two receivers is yards after catch, but Egbuka has him beat. Egbuka has 66 more YAC than him despite fewer receptions. Even if you're not convinced these two players were nearly identical in 2025, the gap between the two on this list is astonishing.
McMillan doesn't deserve to be 60th, and Egbuka deserves to be attached to his hip in every tolerable ranking. Other players Egbuka outperformed in 2025 were Colston Loveland (61st) and Brock Bowers (73rd). Of course, production will be much different with two tight ends, but the writers of this list claim that positional value means nothing.
The only way for Egbuka to respond to this is to prove them wrong in 2026. His rookie campaign was a great start, but it's only up from here. Despite an above average drop rate and inconsistent production, he flashed why he was such a highly touted prospect out of Ohio State.
If Egbuka can level up his play in 2026, the sky is the limit. Hopefully, we look back this time next year and see Egbuka aggressively climb up this list, because I think it'll happen. It's time for the rise of Emeka Egbuka.