Kiper Explains Why He Loves Emeka Egbuka for Jaguars

The second round of the draft has produced a few solid wide receivers in recent years, namely Ladd McConkey, Rashee Rice and Tee Higgins. ESPN’s Mel Kiper thinks Emeka Egbuka is the next player in that group, and loves the Ohio State prospect for the Jaguars early on Day 2.

“This is a professional receiver, Emeka Egbuka,” Kiper said Tuesday on NFL Live. “He's going to be where he's supposed to be. Route running, precise. Clutch receiver, will block as well. Unselfish football player, great in the locker room, practice field, and certainly on game day.

“Trevor Lawrence will have a guy on third down, get the ball to him. He will make the catch; he'll do some damage. He can play inside and outside as well, slot and outside. So, for me, Emeka Egbuka, borderline first-rounder, could go in the late first but could slide into the early second where he’d be a really good pick for the Jaguars.”

The Jaguars made a really good pick last year at wide receiver, Brian Thomas in the first round. Thomas and Egbuka, along with free agent Dyami Brown, would certainly rob sleep from defensive coordinators.

A 6-1, 202-pound prospect who helped Ohio State capture the national championship last season, Egbuka could fit a role Liam Coen carved out for Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay last year – working the middle of the field. Egbuka reminds many of another former Buckeyes wide receiver, Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

One of those is Field Yates, Kiper’s co-host on the First Draft podcast. Yates said this week he’d be fine with the Jaguars taking Egbuka at No. 36 in the second round, on one condition: They use their first-rounder on defense. Yates said the best way to help Lawrence is to invest in the defense with the No. 5 overall choice.

“Mason Graham from Michigan is such an obvious fit for Jacksonville,” Yates said. “I think he's a 32-team fit. To be very clear, there's no scheme he wouldn't work with. ‘

“This guy showed up as a relatively low-profile recruit by Michigan standards three years ago from the West Coast and, as a true freshman, looked truly at times like the best player on a defense that a year later would win the national championship, would produce probably close to a dozen NFL defensive prospects.”