The Buccaneers’ first-round pick, Emeka Egbuka, didn’t get a warm-up lap. Instead, he was thrust into the starting lineup alongside Mike Evans for his regular season debut due to injuries to Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan.
Egbuka made an instant impact, hauling in four passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 59 seconds left in the Bucs’ 23-20 win over the Falcons.
After the game, Baker Mayfield praised Egbuka’s quick trust-building, saying:
“Extremely quickly,” Mayfield said, via the team’s website. “I just think the way he carries himself, I’ve told you guys, it wasn’t a front. You saw it live today, in person. He’s the real deal. True professional. Doesn’t play like a rookie. Doesn’t act like a rookie. His head is never spinning. He made some unbelievable catches and plays today for us. Obviously, going to continue to lean on him. Hopefully, we can draw some more coverage towards him, and Mike gets the ball again.”
With Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan expected to return later in the season, the Bucs will need to shuffle their receiver room. Given Egbuka’s impressive debut, it’ll be tough to keep him off the field.
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