NFL executives and scouts have been ranking the best players at every position on ESPN, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to be stewing at how many of their players have been snubbed. And that is perfect for the Bucs, led by the player with the biggest chip on his shoulder in the entire NFL in quarterback Baker Mayfield, because they sure could use some bulletin board material after their horrible 2025 NFL regular season collapse.
The latest players to get an extra shot of motivation are the star wide receiver duo of Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. These two guys are stepping into some huge shoes, as Mike Evans, now of the San Francisco 49ers, received an honorable mention on the list of the top 10 best wide receivers in the NFL today, as ranked by NFL personnel themselves via ESPN's insider Jeremy Fowler.
Neither Godwin nor Egbuka were present on the list among the honorable mentions nor the players receiving any votes, which totaled 26 in full. Now, that should not necessarily come as a surprise to Buccaneers fans since Egbuka is still young and entering his second year in the NFL while Godwin's injuries have prevented him from being a top receiver in years.
Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin need to ball out in 2026
But at the same time, you would expect both Egbuka and Godwin to be flirting with that status by the end of the season. Emeka Egbuka has a ton of talent regardless of his age and is tabbed by many to be ready to take on that No. 1 wide receiver role. And Godwin clearly has the talent - and the salary - of a true No. 1 wide receiver, and if anyone on the Bucs should be in the top 25 of NFL wide receivers, then it is the former Penn State stud.
Baker Mayfield needs a lot more help around him than he got with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, as both injuries and honestly player performance of the receivers and running backs held him back. The NFL may have just snubbed Egbuka and Godwin from getting any votes, but that is precisely the motivation Mayfield will use to get the best seasons possible out of them - as if they needed any more motivation after last season's collapse and the way Mike Evans snubbed the organization on the way out before joining the NFC's San Francisco 49ers instead.
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