“Emeka’s really strong hands, super smart … he looks like a running back but he catches like Chris Godwin,” Evans said. “He’s a very polished, very well-rounded player.”
Evans
“I didn’t [expect to draft a receiver] either, but you know Jason has always been great in drafts, and we wanted to pick the best players available, and from what I’ve seen so far, he was definitely the best player available,” Evans said, via NFL.com. “So, looking forward to a great year for him, Emeka. He looks like a running back, but I mean, he catches like Chris Godwin. He’s a very polished, very well-rounded player.
He was so good as a rookie, he’s ready to bust out.
• Jalen McMillan logged five straight games with at least one score, collecting seven touchdown receptions during that stretch, and recording 50+ receiving yards in each of those contests, as well. His five straight games with a receiving touchdown is tied for the second-longest streak by a rookie in NFL history, trailing only Hall of Famer Randy Moss (six).
• McMillan and Moss are the only rookies in league history with 50+ receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in five-or-more consecutive contests.
He was so good as a rookie, he’s ready to bust out.
• Jalen McMillan logged five straight games with at least one score, collecting seven touchdown receptions during that stretch, and recording 50+ receiving yards in each of those contests, as well. His five straight games with a receiving touchdown is tied for the second-longest streak by a rookie in NFL history, trailing only Hall of Famer Randy Moss (six).
• McMillan and Moss are the only rookies in league history with 50+ receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in five-or-more consecutive contests.
He's in rare company and can clearly do multiple things from the WR position. Like the other three in the stable, he's very gifted at finding the soft zones to get open. Baker is going to be able to name his number both on and off the field this year. Nuts.
Egbuka’s film is a fun watch.
This kid is special.
I have watched a lot of Egbuka over the years… I agree. He can wreck a defense.
He also liked hard coaching in college, he wanted to know pro concepts, especially his final season.From the surprising moment we drafted him, I thought he could be an immediate slot option and perform well in our system - but now I’m beginning to think he could be even more.
Should be fun to watch.
Egbuka will benefit greatly from having McMillan as a teammate. Someone who just went through it. Was a complete pro. Someone who did things few other rookie WR have ever done.
one persons take on the pick
"That’s where the head-scratching begins. Tampa selected Emeka Egbuka with the 19th-overall pick and the Ohio State product seems poised for the slot role, especially with Godwin’s guidance. Jalen McMillan came on strong late last season and is in line for more playing time in Year 2."
Grizz on JMac
“I think that where [J-Mac] left last season and the progress he showed on and off the field, and you could see that carry over into the spring with not having Chris [Godwin] out there and bringing Emeka [Egbuka] along and him showing Emeka the ropes — then his ability to just do that and be himself and really just take off where he left off, then I think that would be huge if we were just going to actually circle one,” Grizzard said. “But you know how it is, at the end of the day, it takes all 11. And he’s in a good spot.”
JMAC to me while he is a technical WR he can thrive on broken plays and find the soft zone. I was wondering why his teammate struggle so much as a pro (Polk) in his first year. But then I realized that JMAC didn't have the pressure to be that guy, Bucs OL is way better than the Patriots which were terrible. And the Bucs QB situation with Mayfield is way better.
But while ideal supporting cast is important I think JMAC shows instincts that you can't teach on a blackboard with X's and O's.
Which is nice because Egbuka can be technically sound and polished but he is still a terror in the open field or if a play breaks down and Mayfield is scrambling either JMAC or Egbuka will find that soft zone.
This offense is going to be fun to watch from a technical schematic/personnel mismatch type of way, but also when plays break down. Evans, Godwin, JMAC, Egbuka, White, Irving, Otton, Culp, Durham, etc.
Lots of possibilities and lots of headaches for defenses.
This offense is going to be fun to watch from a technical schematic/personnel mismatch type of way, but also when plays break down.
Interested to see how this helps/hurts Mayfield given his ability to extend plays
“Emeka Egbuka is an absolute stud. He’s the real deal,” Mayfield said.
“Ok, you know how you just can’t teach guys leaving the ground to catch the ball? It’s always grounded when [Egbuka] catches it,” Mayfield said. “He keeps moving. There’s YAC (yards-after-catch) potential out the wazoo there. But he’s just so damn smart. And he’s willing to block, willing to do everything we ask him to do. But then, I mean, we can plug-and-play him at any of the three receiver spots right now. It’s pretty exciting.”
This WR room is special. Grizz may be the luckiest OC in the league from what he’s walking into.
Bowles saying the Bucs went BPA
“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.”
Would be interesting to identify that posters who are BOTH spokespeople for BPA and who were upset with the pick. Even more interesting the subset of that same group who DOWNPLAYED significance of defensive injuries in 2024 (thought the Bucs should go all defense).