After countless hours of speculation and hypotheticals, we finally know who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken in the first round of the NFL draft. And after all of that wondering and waiting, I was still caught completely off guard with who they took. That player is the wide receiver out of Ohio State, Emeka Egbuka.
It was well known that the Bucs had been doing their homework on the wide receiver class. They had been linked heavily to Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round as well as several day two guys like Jaylin Noel. Regardless, investing in this position at this point in the draft caught me off guard.
That’s because of the need on the defensive side of the ball. With question marks at cornerback, safety, linebacker and pass rusher, it felt all but certain that this would be a defensive pick. As the night went on, that belief only grew.
The Bucs had their pick of defensive players with the 19th overall pick. Highly regarded pass rushers Mike Green and Donovan Ezeiruaku were both on the board, as well as cornerbacks Will Johnson and Jahdae Barron. Basically any player that you might have projected to Tampa Bay over the last few months was there for the taking.
However, Jason Licht opted not to take any of those players. Instead it was Egbuka that he felt was too good to pass up. And although it isn’t the pick I expected, I can’t sit here and tell you with certainty that he was wrong to believe that.Â
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Egbuka is a fantastic pass catcher. I’ve compared him to players like Chris Godwin and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He is someone who could step in as a rookie and be one of the best slot receivers in the NFL.Â
It all starts with his body control and hands. If the quarterback puts the ball anywhere near him Egbuka can adjust to the pass and bring it in. This is one of the most reliable players in the entire draft.
Egbuka is also a very good route runner. Not many players have a natural feel for the defense and how to find space against zone coverage like Egbuka does. He is a savey separator who plays like a veteran.Â
One thing that gets lost in stats and measurables are the intangibles such as toughness and leadership. However, those are things that are high priorities for Licht. Egbuka has those kinds of things by the truck load.
He was a captain on the national championship winning Buckeyes team. He’s a four year player at Ohio State and set the school’s all time record in total receptions. He is also someone who is very intelligent and was an All Conference academic athlete for three years.
It’s also important to keep in mind the nature of the Buccaneers current wide receiver room. Mike Evans will be turning 32 this year and as good as he continues to be he just can’t play forever. Chris Godwin is entering his 30s and coming off a major injury. So Egbuka is a boost to the offense now, but could also be the leading pass catcher for the Bucs in two years.Â
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Overall, the Bucs got a very good player. He’s a great fit for what the offense wants to do and is someone who should be a leader in the locker room moving forward. Make no mistake, this was a really good pick.
I understand that there is some disappointment that this wasn’t a defensive pick because that was the area of weakness last year. But this is a deep draft for both pass rushers and defensive backs. At this point, let’s not worry about what the Buccaneers didn’t do and celebrate that this team just got a lot better.
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Agreed,
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