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When the Bucs selected Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round of April’s 2025 NFL Draft, some questioned the pick. With multiple roster needs, was adding another wide receiver a luxury Tampa Bay could not afford?

Fast forward to the first week of training camp, and Egbuka is already silencing those doubts. Not only has the rookie wideout emerged as an early offensive standout, but head coach Todd Bowles shut down the notion that he was just a luxury pick on the first day of camp.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“We don’t go for luxury picks, we go for picks of good football players, and we try to play them,” Bowles said. “Jason [Licht] and the scouting staff and the coaching staff do a very good job. The draft fell as such to where we could take a receiver right there, and it fell the right way in that sense. We had about three or four guys we were interested in, and he was at the top of that list at the time.”

Since then, Egbuka has stolen the show. He is flashing the precise route-running and dependable hands that made him a first-round target and quickly becoming one of Mayfield’s go-to options in early practices.

After Monday’s practice session, the rookie reflected on his early success, his chemistry with Mayfield, and why he is determined to be more than just a playmaker – he wants to be a problem solver and cornerstone piece for Tampa Bay’s offensive foundation.

Emeka Egbuka Is An Overachiever

Growing up in Washington and playing college football in Ohio, Emeka Egbuka has had to learn about what it means to play football in Florida. After record-setting heat the last few days in Tampa Bay, Egbuka and the Bucs were challenged by starting their first day in pads in the sweltering sun. To Egbuka, it is just another adjustment he is happy to make as a rookie taking everything in.

“It’s been great,” Egbuka said about how camp has gone so far. “It’s been a learning curve for sure – an adjustment to this heat, to the elements. We know down the road if we keep practicing the way that we are right now it’s going to turn into an advantage for us come the season time. We’re staying the course. For me, it’s been a challenge, but all the right things are happening now – making mistakes now so I don’t have to make them later and learning how to thrive with the guys and create that chemistry.”

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Everyone who reaches the NFL level is talented, but what separates the benchwarmers and stars a lot of times is what motivates them.

What internally fuels them each day on the field.

While for some players the fire goes out over the years, Egbuka wants to keep the edge that has propelled him to this point.

“My entire life, ever since I’ve been playing sports, I’ve never needed external motivation,” Egbuka added. “My family – I joke with my dad, he’s tried to hold me back in some ways just because he [used to say], ‘Are you sure you need to go to training tonight? You already had two practices this morning.’ There’s just something innate in me makes me drive and want everything just a little bit more. I’m an overachiever and a perfectionist to that degree, but I think part of that is what has led me to get here. Keeping that same mindset, not getting complacent and hopefully I can hold onto that mindset and chase that for years to come.”

Emeka Egbuka Desires To Be A Problem-Solver

When it comes to the challenges of being a rookie wide receiver in the NFL, there are plenty.

Not only is it a drastic jump up in competition, but also learning a more sophisticated offensive scheme, adapting to a new quarterback throwing the football your way, and making the necessary lifestyle changes.

And, of course, earning a share of targets in what is a very talented and deep receiver room.

Bucs WRs Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In Emeka Egbuka’s case, earning those targets means competing with wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan right now, and Chris Godwin Jr. whenever he makes his much-anticipated return from a dislocated ankle injury suffered last season.

Through everything thrown Egbuka’s way, he is taking it in just like he runs and makes catches on the football field – gracefully in stride.

“Being a receiver is about being a problem-solver,” Egbuka said. “You can run a 4.2 40 and that’s great. You can jump a 45-inch vertical, but if you’re not a problem-solver, you can’t get open and recognize coverage, those tools that you have aren’t going to be able to be used. Understand the defense’s coverages, the offense, the checks, all of this type of stuff, is what helps people thrive at this level.”

Egbuka knows all too well about being a problem solver and producing while playing alongside talented wide receivers. Being as polished as he is entering the next level, it will not take the 6-foot-1, 205-pound wideout long to earn Baker Mayfield’s complete trust if he continues along the path he is on.

“It’s coming along great,” Egbuka said on his chemistry with Mayfield. “Obviously, he’s a seasoned veteran and knows what he is talking about so it’s just about being on the same page with him. I think a lot of that chemistry comes from me knowing what I’m doing. Learning the playbook, knowing every spot so he can know that I’m going to be where I’m expected to be at any given moment and over time as he’s watching film and we’re watching film and we’re creating that chemistry, he will be able to trust me more and more.”

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Despite how well things have gone so far, it will not always be smooth sailing. The Bucs know all too well the stormy seas that have arisen mid-season in recent years. Overcoming them and other adversity when it hits, like mid-season injuries and not living up to elite expectations every week, is essential to be the last team standing next February.

For now, though, the foundation is being laid each day in camp.

Mayfield, inside linebacker Lavonte David, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are all doing their part as team captains to send the message that this team has all the pieces to win it all. Seeing young players like Emeka Egbuka get that message early is encouraging, but there is still plenty of work to do in building something special from top to bottom this season.

“I think we have all the components you want, but it’s hard to tell right now,” Egbuka said. “You have to continue stacking days and you have to be resilient. You have to show up when you don’t want to. You have to have tough conversations with teammates who probably aren’t up to par. All those come when adversity strikes in a season.

“It’s about building a strong foundation now so that when those storms hit, like it says in the Bible, in Luke, you can face all those adversities. We’re a team who has all the right components, has all the leadership. You look at Lavonte David, that’s a natural-born leader if I’ve ever seen one. We have guys to rally behind – it’s about whether we’re going to buy in or not.”