Could Buccaneers feature Rookie of the Year candidate in 2025?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield raised eyebrows earlier this summer when he said that 2025 first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka "does a lot of things similar to" Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown. 

ESPN's Dan Graziano mentioned Wednesday that Egbuka could emerge as Tampa Bay's leading receiver by the time the season ends.

"The team has been absolutely raving about first-round pick Egbuka throughout the summer, praising him as hyper-advanced for a rookie in all facets of his game," Graziano shared. "Chris Godwin, who is working his way back from a major season-ending ankle injury, is on a very uncertain timetable for returning to the field and an even more uncertain one for returning to his old self. Veteran Mike Evans' next sub-1,000-yard season will be his first, but he is 32 and missed three games last season. And Jalen McMillan, last year's rookie standout who caught seven touchdown passes in the final five games of the season, will miss the start of 2025 because of a neck injury."

Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles revealed during a Wednesday radio appearance that Godwin could return to action "anywhere from Week 2 to Week 5" this season. Godwin suffered a dislocated left ankle, high ankle sprain, fractured fibula and torn deltoid last October but has been placed on Tampa Bay's 53-man roster rather than the physically unable to perform list. 

Meanwhile, McMillan could be sidelined through the first half of the 2025 campaign. 

Mayfield established a strong working relationship with new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard during his tenure as the club's pass game coordinator last season. Per Pro Football Reference, only Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals tossed more touchdown passes (43) than Mayfield (41) in 2024. Additionally, Mayfield ended the campaign ranked fourth among qualified quarterbacks with a 106.8 passer rating and third with 4,500 passing yards.

"Egbuka can play any of the wide receiver spots in the Tampa Bay offense, already has the trust of quarterback Baker Mayfield and appears in line for a massive share of the target opportunity on one of the league's best offenses," Graziano added. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Egbuka seventh among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. It sounds like Mayfield could target Egbuka early and often during Tampa Bay's Week 1 game at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 7.