Former Panthers and Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Jr. knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a productive wide receiver in the NFL. Throughout his 16-year career, Smith made five Pro Bowls and finished with 1,031 receptions, 14,731 receiving yards, and 89 total touchdowns.

After hanging it up after the 2016 season, Smith is still an avid film watcher — of other top receivers and prospects entering the league. Just before the Bucs made Emeka Egbuka a first-round pick, he broke down Egbuka’s game with NFL inside James Palmer.

Steve Smith Believes Emeka Egbuka Was “The No. 1 Slot Guy” Among 2025 Draft WRs

Former Panthers and Ravens WR Steve Smith Sr. – Photo by: USA Today

Emeka Egbuka will have his work cut off for him seeing the field to begin his NFL career, now sharing a room led by Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Egbuka will be competing with Jalen McMillan for the No. 3 wide receiver position on the Bucs’ depth chart, and it will likely mean that he lines up at each spot in order to get snaps.

When breaking down his game though, Steve Smith sees Egbuka as a premier slot option.

“He’s a slot guy,” Smith said. “I believe teams have him as the number one slot guy.”

He then turned on the tape and detailed why.

“You want a guy [that] can gel and also, ‘What does he bring to the table?'” Smith added. “For me, I put value pass catcher [as his skillset]. His value is how he catches the ball and where he generally catches the ball is really as a deep threat between the hashes. If you put his route tree on the outside, I think he is capable in the league of running the routes zero through four. Zero is a hitch, depending on who you talk to, one’s a hitch, two is a slant, three is an out… four would be a curl on the outside.

“His route tree on the inside… he has the ability to run the stop, run the lookie, run the seam… run corner routes. He’s a value No. 2 wide receiver, routes are good in the slot mid-range and short, going deep outside isn’t his strength, however; he can do it and will do it.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles, WR Emeka Egbuka, and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Adam Slivon/PR

Possessing the ability to run a variety of routes, it signifies the polish Egbuka already has. Quarterback Baker Mayfield had a career year last season and likes to distribute the football. Smith believes that his newest target will be a welcoming face for Mayfield to see as he looks downfield.

“The biggest thing that I walked away from, you talk about a trait, not all of these guys have this trait,” Smith said. “This guy Egbuka has this trait –quarterback friendly route-runner. Man… when you talk to quarterbacks and when they have a go-to guy, you want to know what the go-to guy’s characteristics are?”

James Palmer chimed in.

“Friendly neighborhood route-runner.”

Smith agreed.

Emeka Egbuka Does Not Work For The FBI, But He Has “Football Intelligence”

Emeka Egbuka is viewed as a high-character addition, and his fourth-grade teacher believed that he could run for president someday.

He has a while to meet the age requirement to run for office, but he has something that could make him a valuable government employee.

Egbuka, as Steve Smith put it, has an FBI – football intelligence – background.

Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today

“He knows where to feel, but also he knows where the ball should be going, where the ball should not be going,” Smith said. “Understanding how the defense is being played. Knowing his role, knowing what the defense is doing, and then also, knowing what his quarterback is looking for and his offensive coordinator and his wide receivers coach.

“You really have to study the playbook and be willing to sacrifice your personal goal to have a better outcome on the team goals, which is why a lot of people said they would not have won this championship if he was not on this squad. If you watch and go back, he’s playing in the Rose Bowl and some of the big-name guys aren’t playing in there — went off. Egbuka is one of those guys, man it’s not a safe pick, he’s a pick that you know exactly what you’re getting. He’s old faithful. He’s old reliable.”

The production Egbuka had during his time at Ohio State stands out, as it came during a time where he played with some of the best NFL wide receiver prospects in recent memory. Even among them, he was a reliable performer who did what he needed to in order to win. Egbuka’s blend of selflessness and personality seemingly makes him the perfect addition to the Bucs’ wide receiver room, where he can learn from some of the best now before truly emerging as a weapon later.

If you want to watch Steve Smith and James Palmer breakdown Emeka Egbuka’s game further, you can find the video below.