Buccaneers Sign First-Round Draft Pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka to a four-year deals via the team’s website.

This comes a day after the team announced the signings of four of their draft picks. Read about those signings here.

Via the team’s website,

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today signed 2025 first-round pick wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

Egbuka (6-1, 205) was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at The Ohio State University (2021-24), appearing in 51 career games and making 40 consecutive starts to conclude his collegiate career. Egbuka finished his Ohio State tenure as the program’s all-time leader in receptions (205), while ranking second in receiving yards (2,868) and seventh in touchdown receptions (24). As a senior in 2024, Egbuka brought in 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns, joining Marvin Harrison Jr. as the only two players in school history to record multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Voted a team captain in 2024, Egbuka helped lead the Buckeyes to a victory in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Notre Dame. The Tacoma, Washington, native will wear No. 9 for Tampa Bay.”

Emeka Egbuka’s run in Columbus was marked by clutch performances, especially against top-ranked teams. In eight matchups, he hauled in 51 passes for 610 yards. Overall, his college stats speak for themselves: 205 catches, 2,868 yards, and 24 touchdowns, showcasing his reliability and game-breaking potential.

Egbuka does most of his damage out of the slot. Think of players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua and of course Chris Godwin. These are the types of players who are comparable.

The hands are fantastic. He catches everything and keeps the chains moving. You would expect as much from the guy who had the most receptions in the history of Ohio State University history.

What allows him to get to so many passes is his excellent body control. I don’t care if the pass is behind him or if it’s low or whatever; there’s a good chance that Egbuka will grab it. His catch radius is fantastic and much bigger than you’d expect from a guy who is just shy of 6’1.

As you might expect, Egbuka does a lot of his work over the middle. He can make the gritty contested catches in traffic and well as threaten the safety deep. His speed might not be fantastic (running a 4.48 40 yard dash), but he has a knack for threatening the safety on deep corner routes.

One thing that stands out about Egbuka is his route running. Specifically his ability to find the soft spot in a zone defense. He’ll be a 22 year old rookie, but the way he finds open space you’d think he was a ten year veteran.

Beyond just his ability on the field, Egbuka is a very high character player. He was a team captain last year on the national championship winning Buckeyes team. He’s also an iron man who started his last 40 consecutive games at Ohio State and was a multi time All Conference scholar athlete.

Egbuka brings so many things to this Buccaneers offense. Toughness, intelligence, and one of the most consistent playmakers in recent memory. This is someone who compliments what the Bucs have in place currently, but it is also someone who can lead this offense in a few years.

Emeka Egbuka’s Highlights