Tetairoa McMillan vs. Emeka Egbuka: Which WR Fits Jaguars Better?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have become the most fascinating team in the NFL Draft with just over 24 hours remaining until they make their choice with the No. 5 overall selection. In James Gladstone’s first draft as a general manager, he will be making one of the more important choices in franchise history as the new regime looks to get back into their winning ways.

There have been numerous prospects discussed for the No. 5 overall selection or in a possible trade back, as ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Jaguars were one of several teams that could try to trade back. However, if they choose to sit tight at No. 5 or move down the pecking order, could a wide receiver be in play for either spot?

While I think a wide receiver is moreso down the list of significant needs on the roster, they do need to have players with more years under control as Dyami Brown is a free agent and Brian Thomas Jr. could use another high-ceiling playmaker opposite of him. Two players come to mind when thinking of the selection at No. 5 or a trade back: Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka.

McMillan has been pegged as the consensus No. 1 wide receiver in the draft by the general public while Egbuka is ranked as my personal top playmaker at the position. Both offer skill sets that could be greatly appreciated and utilized by head coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Yet, the question I have is which of the two prospects fit the team better?

It’s hard not to like McMillan; he exhibits outstanding size with a nice mixture of high-end ball skills, catch radius, and fluidity. His frame allows him to snare passes away from his frame and will be aggressive at the catch point. McMillan also offers impressive run-after-catch skills and quickness to be creative in space.

However, there are a few things that may give some teams some pause. I don’t view McMillan as a route-running savant and all receiver’s run routes differently than one another, but what I struggle with is his consistency of pacing and tempo before the catch, especially against press-man coverage at the line of scrimmage. He must become more deceptive and creative with his routes and at the top of the stems.

This is the area I see Egbuka as a superior player. Since he became a top target for some quarterback named C.J. Stroud, Egbuka has illustrated nuanced and pro-ready route running ability who can identify leverage pre-snap and work into open grass against zone to make himself available to the quarterback. He offers great tempo and pacing at the line of scrimmage to attack defensive backs’ leverage and create consistent separation.

Egbuka was predominantly a slot receiver for the Buckeyes but has showcased a toolkit of short-area quickness and flashes of variety when aligned as an X-receiver during his career. He does not offer the elite catch radius, frame, and ability to win in vertical elements like McMillan does, but he displays great blocking ability and technique that should make him valuable to teams at the next level.

I view Egbuka as not only the better wide receiver prospect but fit with the Jaguars. While he does lack the elite speed of what you may view as a top receiver prospect, Egbuka’s skill set is what Coen would be looking for in his slot receivers: competitive, smart, versatile, and reliable.

This isn’t to say McMillan isn’t reliable but I have more questions about his transition in the short-term to be a fully-effective playmaker worthy of a Top 5 selection, much less Top 15.

If Jacksonville is to take a wide receiver in the first round, it should through a trade-back with Egbuka as the target, giving the team another quality target in the passing game and blocking asset on the perimeter in the run game.