Bucs rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and defensive back Jacob Parrish have made the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie team for the 2025 season. There were 10 rookies selected on offense, 11 on defense and five chosen for special teams. Tampa Bay is one of seven teams that had two players on the list.

Joining Egbuka at wide receiver on the All-Rookie team is Tetairoa McMillan, who also won the PFWA rookie of the year. Quarterback Tyler Shough of the Saints also represented the NFC South. Along with Parrish at corner was Will Johnson of the Cardinals, while Falcons safety Xavier Watts was also on along with his teammate James Pearce Jr. on the defensive line.

Bucs’ Emeka Egbuka Burst Onto The Scene

Each of these Bucs players have had intriguing beginnings to their career. Egbuka was a first round pick, selected 19th overall by Tampa Bay. It came as a surprise because the general thought was that the Bucs were going to go with defense in the first round, but opted for who they thought was the best player available in Egbuka.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Cliff Welch/PR

The pick was somewhat questioned at the time, but it wound up being absolutely necessary. With Chris Godwin Jr. not returning until Week 4 and Jalen McMillan out until the middle of December with a neck fracture, Egbuka immediately shot up the ranks and became the second string wide receiver behind Mike Evans. He immediately made an impact scoring two touchdowns in a NFL debut, including the game winner against Atlanta with under a minute to go.

Egbuka kept momentum going by scoring a touchdown in Week 2 and having a solid game in Week 3 with 85 receiving yards on six catches. It was Week 4 and Week 5, though, where he truly broke out as a star, and this was without the help of Evans, who was injured the week before. In Week 4, Egbuka made four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown and then followed it up with his best game of the season in Week 5. Egbuka stole the show as he recorded seven catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in a 38-35 shootout win on the road against the Seahawks.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today

Its true that Egbuka did slow down a bit as the season went on. He only had one more 100-yard game and touchdown with each coincidentally coming in Week 9. But Egbuka showed that he can be a guy that the Bucs can rely on in the passing game even if Evans doesn’t return next season.

Jacob Parrish Ended Up Being The Better Bucs Rookie Corner

The year Parrish had involved a lot of intrigue, too. He was the 84th overall pick, taken in the third round by Tampa Bay. He was the second corner drafted by the Bucs already as they took Benjamin Morrison 53rd overall in round two.

Its not that Parrish was an afterthought by any means, it was just that Morrison was more a of well known name due to playing for Notre Dame. The expectation was that Morrison would be the eventual replacement for Jamel Dean at outside corner. However, due to several injuries that kept him out of the preseason and several regular season games, Morrison was limited all season long and it was Parrish that stood out the most with his playmaking ability.

There seems to be a rite of passage with the Bucs at the nickel slot corner position. In 2023 it went to rookie undrafted free agent, Chrisian Izien. In 2024, rookie second rounder Tykee Smith had the job. The 2025 season had Parrish playing it. He also showed versatile by playing outside corner as well during the season in situations were injuries limited Tampa Bay’s personnel.

Bucs CB Jacob Parrish – Photo by: USA Today

Parrish has a pitbull like mentality due to being undersized. He has relentless effort and great speed while also playing physical. He’ll never give up on a play and his efforts have really benefitted the defense despite overall struggles from the unit.

He played in all 17 games in his rookie year, recording 76 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, seven pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two interceptions. His first career pick came off of Josh Allen in a road game against the Bills. His second was the last game of the season off of Bryce Young in a home game against the Panthers. The Bucs have some questions about corner this year with Dean likely leaving and Zyon McCollum struggling, but what they do know is Parrish is reliable.

Whether its Egbuka, Parrish, or some other players from Tampa Bay’s rookie class, the Bucs know they had a good group as they develop more in their second year going into the 2026 season.

To see who else made the PFWA’s All-Rookie team, click this link.