The Bucs have been fast and furious signing their 2025 rookie draft class. After signing four players on Thursday, Tampa Bay announced on Friday that they have signed first round pick Emeka Egbuka to his rookie deal. Since Egbuka is the Bucs’ first round pick, he comes with a fifth year team option on the contract.

With the signing of the former Ohio State wide receiver, that puts five of the six 2025 Tampa Bay draft picks signed. The only one that is still unsigned is second round pick, Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

What Emeka Egbuka Brings To The Bucs

Tampa Bay went with a bit of a surprise and selected Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round, giving quarterback Baker Mayfield yet another outstanding pass-catcher to work with under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

Egbuka is a 6-foot-1, 201-pounder who starred for the national champion Buckeyes. There’s an argument to be made that Egbuka was the most polished wide receiver in this year’s class. He played at a high level as a three-year starter for Ohio State and has a knack for getting open. He’s exceptionally adept at locating the ball with brief but important nuances, which helps him find windows of opportunity. He is a Chris Godwin-type receiver, which Bucs fans will absolutely love to hear and see.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, WR Emeka Egbuka and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With a high football IQ, great toughness and an ability to be quarterback friendly with his ball tracking and adjustment skills, Egbuka is an exciting pick for Tampa Bay. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said that while Egbuka can line up outside, he would thrive in a slot role “where he can expand a play-calling menu with his diverse skill set.”

Egbuka joined Marvin Harrison Jr. as the only players to have two, 1,000-yard receiving seasons in Buckeyes history. The first came in 2022, when he caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games (all starts). After missing some time with an ankle injury in 2023, he bounced back in Ohio State’s 2024 championship season, catching 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Bucs will also love Egbuka the person, as he was a 2024 team captain for the Buckeyes, was named a second-team Academic All-American and was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Bucs Add Another Talent To The WR Room

Wide receiver was one of the needs that was lower on the list for the Bucs, but it was still a need nonetheless. Mike Evans remains the No. 1 target for quarterback Baker Mayfield, and he hasn’t lost a step just yet. But he will turn 32 during training camp and is entering a contract year.

Meanwhile, Chris Godwin is starting the first year of a three-year contract, but he’s also 29 and coming off his second major injury within the last few years.

Behind the veterans, the only receiver on the roster who has a roster spot absolutely locked up is second-year pass-catcher Jalen McMillan, who was a third-round pick for Tampa Bay last year.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The trio of Evans, Godwin and McMillan is solid, but adding a fourth big-time wide receiver like Emeka Egbuka into the mix elevates the receiving corps in a big way. Not to mention, there was a point during the 2024 season when both Evans and Godwin went down. While Mayfield did the best he could with what he had at the position, Tampa Bay did go 0-4 without those top two in the lineup.

Egbuka does give a big boost to Mayfield and the offense. It’s clear Tampa Bay viewed Egbuka highly enough to make this pick when Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malaki Starks, Jahdae Barron, Maxwell Hairston, Jihaad Campbell and others were still on the board at the time.

Egbuka became just the fourth wide receiver to be selected in the first round in franchise history, joining Reidel Anthony (1997), Michael Clayton (2004) and Mike Evans (2014).