Emeka Egbuka Selected By Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 19: Fantasy Football Impact

With the No. 19 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) catches a pass against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With the No. 19 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Ohio State wide reciever Emeka Egbuka.

The #Buccaneers are drafting WR Emeke Egbuka with the 19th pick pic.twitter.com/uIchZsro2b

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) April 25, 2025

Emeka Egbuka Scouting Report:

Twice (74/1,151/10 and 81/1,011/10) over the past three seasons, Egbuka has been a top-two receiving option for Ohio State. He missed three games in 2023 with an ankle injury, leading to a down year (41/515/4). The Buckeyes also gave him 24 rushing attempts in his career, resulting in 145 yards and two touchdowns. Egbuka had six 100-yard receiving games in 2022 (4/118/1, 7/116/1, 6/118/2, 5/143/1, 9/125/1, and 8/112/1) but only one last season (5/117/1).

Egbuka brings an inside wide receiver skill set while offering more rhythm than his overall quickness out of his breaks and route running. He projects as a chain mover with a good feel for the ball in traffic. His release will be challenged in the NFL by press coverage. 

Ohio State’s edge in offensive personnel in many matchups allowed Egbuka to find easy open areas at the second level of a defense. He showed good hands with a natural feel for spacing when given daylight on a play. His opportunity in the deep passing game will be minimal. Egbuka projects to be a league winner in the 40-yard dash (about 4.5 seconds).

Emeka Egbuka Fantasy Football Outlook:

Egbuka has the potential to be a difference maker, particuarly in PPR formats due to his ability to line up in the slot and catch a ton of passes. He will need to improve in man coverage at the NFL level but he should be able to find the soft spots in zone coverage schemes. Egbuka can shine at all three levels in the passing game, but I expect him to thrive in intermediate routes. Think a combination of Cooper Kupp and Amon-Ra St. Brown once he develops a bit at the next level.

With Baker Mayfield under center, Egbuka should emerge as a top-three receiver in this draft class, however, he may not produce at that level in his rookie year after landing in a very crowded wide receiver room. The Bucs already have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan on the depth chart. McMillan's fantasy value takes a huge hit after this selection.

Despite playing without their top two wide receivers for 10 games in 2024, the Bucs’ wide receivers caught 226 passes (11th) for 2,799 yards (8th) and 26 touchdowns (2nd) on 35 targets (13th). Egbuka slips into a favorable position while projecting as the future replacement for Chris Godwin. He's currently being drafted ahead of Travis Hunter in Dynasty formats, but that may change given his landing spot.

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