Seahawks could select hometown hero WR in first round of NFL Draft

The NFL Draft could allow the Seattle Seahawks to bring their newest player back home.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka catches a pass during the pro day for NFL scouts. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks are starting fresh with Sam Darnold as their new quarterback after he signed a three-year, $110.5 million deal in free agency.

Darnold will get a chance to throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who emerged as Seattle's top wideout last season, and Cooper Kupp, who signed with the team after he was cut by the Los Angeles Rams.

It could be wise for the Seahawks to add another wide receiver in the NFL Draft to keep that position young and fresh, which is why NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter suggested that Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was the team's ideal pick at No. 18 overall.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka celebrates with the trophy after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Egbuka is not limited to the slot, though he played there at Ohio State to complement elite stars Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith," Reuter wrote.

"His crisp routes, strong hands and toughness would help him replace Tyler Lockett as a reliable target at all levels of the field. Sam Darnold signed a middle-of-the-road starter deal that does not include any guaranteed money after 2026, per Over the Cap.

Drafting Egbuka would reunite him with Smith-Njigba, his teammate at Ohio State. Smith-Njigba has made the Seahawks look so smart since they drafted him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and even though he was the third wideout on the depth chart when he was taken, he's moved up to No. 1 in just two years.

Egbuka could have a similar trajectory, and it would certainly make Darnold's transition a little easier from Minnesota to Seattle.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the CFP National Championship. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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