After months of speculation, evaluation and a whole lot of mock drafts, the Bucs’ 2025 first-round pick — No. 19 overall — is in. With the pick, Tampa Bay went with a surprise and selected Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, giving quarterback Baker Mayfield yet another outstanding pass-catcher to work with under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

Considering the needs the Bucs have on defense and the prospects available at outside linebacker, cornerback and safety, this was a bit of a stunner in some respects. And if it was going to be a wide receiver at No. 19, it sounded like Texas’ Matthew Golden was one Tampa Bay was interested considering he met formally with the team at the NFL Scouting Combine and later came in on a top 30 visit.

But with Golden still on the board, the Bucs went in another direction, taking Egbuka — a 6-foot-1, 201-pounder who starred for the national champion Buckeyes. On his big board, Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo had Egbuka as his No. 2 wide receiver, trailing only No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter.

Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today

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.

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 Threat To An Already-Dangerous Offense

Bucs WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Coming into draft weekend, 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.

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.

Now, while the selection of Egbuka does give a big boost to Mayfield and the offense, there’s sure to be some controversy to this pick given how much help is needed on Todd Bowles’ defense. While needs at inside linebacker, outside linebacker, cornerback and safety can still be addressed on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft, the No. 19 overall pick not being spent on a defensive player will undoubtedly be called into question.

Nonetheless, it’s clear Tampa Bay viewed Egbuka highly enough to make this pick with Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malaki Starks, Jahdae Barron, Maxwell Hairston, Jihaad Campbell and others still on the board.

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).

Welcome to Tampa Bay, Emeka Egbuka!