Buccaneers Star Emeka Egbuka Receives Massive 2026 Projection

This is a huge prediction for the second-year wide receiver out of Ohio State.

Dec 7, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a number of players they hope to step up in 2026, but perhaps none of those breakout seasons would be as impactful as a potential one from Emeka Egbuka.

Egbuka already had a strong first half of his season last year, making dazzling one-handed catches and showing off his crisp route running to the tune of five touchdowns in his first five games. After suffering a hamstring injury against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6, however, his season significantly tapered off and that initial spark from his rookie campaign quickly dissipated.

Given that Egbuka already showed signs of a high ceiling in 2025, he could be in for a big 2026. And one Sports Illustrated writer believes that his upcoming campaign could be among the NFL's best.

Could Emeka Egbuka Be One of the NFL's Best Wide Receivers?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr wrote in a list of 100 bold predictions that Egbuka would lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2026.

"It’s going to be a strange season in Tampa, but one success story will be undeniable: the second-year growth of Emeka Egbuka," Orr wrote. "With the loss of Mike Evans, the Buccaneers will be able to better spotlight Egbuka in the offense, and he won’t get swallowed up by the offense as he did toward the end of last season. Egbuka had seven or fewer targets in each of the last four games of the 2025 season, after having six touchdowns, three 100-plus-yard games and three 10-plus-target games over the first nine weeks."

Egbuka will certainly have more room to operate in Zac Robinson's offense without Evans. He's set to play either the Z or the X spot, and it will likely be a battle between him and Chris Godwin for the title of No. 1 wide receiver.

He's already doing the right things in camp. He went viral last week for a crazy catch he had in OTAs, where he grabbed an errant pass from Baker Mayfield with one hand while contorting his body, and he also got quite a few targets during the second week of Tampa Bay's OTAs on Tuesday.

We know y'all have been waiting for this one... THE Emeka catch 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/DLs0ax2O8l

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 28, 2026

Egbuka still has plenty to work on before he's crowned as the NFL's next big thing, but he's come from a group of Ohio State wide receivers who have dominated at the next level. If Egbuka ends up leading the NFL in touchdowns, or even putting his name in the top 10 in that metric, the Bucs will likely have a strong offensive unit and win some games in 2026.

The Bucs and Egbuka will hold one more week of OTAs next week before moving on to mandatory minicamp from June 16-18.

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