Bucs kept their word with Emeka Egbuka and it has him on track for a historical season

A lot of people questioned the Emeka Egbuka pick back in April, but mostly because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a loaded wide receiver room at the time. Even with Chris Godwin Jr. still recovering from his previous ankle injury.

Flash forward to less than six months later and Jason Licht and Co. look like absolute geniuses. Not only is Egbuka a major contributor through five weeks - he's easily the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

His impact has been impossible to miss. He's already made NFL history as the first wideout to record at least 25 receptions, 400 yards, and five touchdowns during the first five games of a career. In totality, Egbuka is seventh all-time in yards, tied for sixth all-time in touchdowns, and 17th in receptions among all wide receivers during their first five games, ever.

His 17.8 yards per reception are easily the highest out of all receivers with at least 25 catches over their first five games and his 65.8% catch rate is ninth-best among all wideouts with at least 38 targets over their first five contests.

That's pretty incredible when you think about it and a big reason why the success has come so quickly is because the Bucs know exactly how to play him to his strengths, just like they said when they drafted.

"[He is the] total package," Todd Bowles told reporters after the Bucs took Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. "He’s a playmaker, he can play all three positions – he plays in the slot, he plays the ‘Z,’ he plays the ‘X,’ he can run with the ball, he can throw the ball, he can catch the ball, he’s a very good route runner, he’s a winner, he makes contested catches, he’s a very precise route runner as well, has a lot of speed at the same time, he blocks at the same time…He checks all of the boxes as a player and as a person. That made it an easy choice.”

That's the key for Egbuka: He can play the X, Z, or F positions at a high level. That allows him to get moved around in order to create mismatches and that's what the Bucs have done so far this year. He's lined up all across the offense and it's allowed him to take full advantage of his route tree, which leads to big plays because defenses never know what's coming since he's not a one-trick, or even limited, player.

"At this level, you have to have talent, and obviously he has that, being a first-round draft pick," Baker Mayfield said back in June. "The thing that sticks out is how cerebral he is. He’s so smart. Right now, I think we could plug-and-play him at every [wide] receiver spot – he understands the offense that well. That’s just him being a pro already. He’s not a rookie – he doesn’t act like it at least."

This is exactly what good coaching looks like. The Bucs drafted a player and knew exactly how to use him. How many times have we seen teams draft/acquire players and end up trying to fit a square peg in a round hole?

There was always going to be room for Egbuka in the Bucs' passing attack, but the crop of injuries opened the door for him and thanks to both his abilities and the team's vision for him. He's done nothing but kick said door down from Day 1 and the future is bright as ever.

Right now, Egbuka is on track to finish 2025 with 85 receptions, 1,602 yards, and 17 touchdowns. The yardage would easily surpass Puka Nacua's record of the 1,473 yards he recorded back in 2023. His 89 yards per game would also beat out Justin Jefferson's mark of 87.5 when he set the record during the NFL's last 16-game season back in 2020. Meaning, the argument of Egbuka having an extra game to snatch the record wouldn't hold up very well.

And of course, the 17 receiving touchdowns would match the amount Randy Moss' caught back in 1998. Granted, the extra game argument would work in this example, but it would still be damn impressive considering the next-best mark is 13 touchdowns in a rookie season. That fact Egbuka would theoretically have four more than the second-best guy is pretty wild to think about.

It gets even wilder when thinking he could do even more damage as the Bucs' receiving corps gets healthier with the eventual returns of Evans and McMillan. There's also Godwin Jr. finally getting up to full speed, as well.

Everything is aligning for Egbuka. Now it's just about making it all happen.

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