Emeka Egbuka Fantasy Overview

2024 Summary

College Production

Egbuka left Ohio State as the school’s leader in all-time receiving yards. An impressive feat considering the talent that’s been in Columbus, especially lately.

Egbuka broke out as a sophomore in 2022, catching 74 balls for 1,151 yards and 10 TDs. All three marks just barely trailed fellow sophomore Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 77-1,263-14 line. Egbuka also finished slightly behind Harrison in yards per route, but his 3.01 ranked 11th in the country among 286 qualifying WRs.

An October ankle injury cost Egbuka three games and limited him down the stretch in 2023. He averaged 61 yards per game pre-injury vs. just 42 post-injury.

But he bounced back this past year, catching a career-high 81 balls for 1,011 yards and 10 TDs. Egbuka led Ohio State in catches, ranking second to uber-prospect Jeremiah Smith in yards and TDs. His 2.51 yards per route ranked 38th among 260 qualifying WRs; his 82.4 Pro Football Focus receiving grade was good for 20th.

Usage & Role

Egbuka was a primary slot receiver for the Buckeyes. He ran 73.2% of his career routes from the inside, including a career-high 81.1% last year.

He worked mostly short routes, registering a career 9.1-yard average target depth. Egbuka didn’t top a 10.2-yard average in any of his four seasons. That helped him compile a 72.7% catch rate for his career. Egbuka averaged a solid 6.6 yards after catch.

Injury History

Egbuka suffered a high-ankle sprain in October 2023. He had tightrope surgery to repair the injury and returned about a month later.

2025 Expectations

Projected Role & Competition

The Buccaneers made Egbuka the 19th overall pick of this spring’s draft. He joins a loaded WR corps alongside Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan.

Evans and Godwin are both coming off career bests in yards per route and are locked into big roles when healthy. Godwin, though, is coming off a dislocated ankle suffered last October. His rehab has gone well by all accounts, but the Bucs have not guaranteed that he’ll be ready for Week 1. The team did give him a three-year, $66 million deal in March, which suggests no long-term concerns about that ankle.

McMillan was a third-rounder last year and flashed late in his rookie season. But considering their college profiles and draft capital, Egbuka is the favorite to win the No. 3 WR job.

If he does, it’ll be interesting to see how he’s deployed alongside Godwin. While Egbuka ran the majority of his routes from the slot at Ohio State, he was more efficient from the outside. He averaged 2.97 yards per route from the outside vs. 2.48 from the slot.

Godwin has also been a primary slot receiver and has been more efficient on the inside. He’s averaged 2.26 yards per route from the slot vs. 1.80 yards per route from the outside over the last three seasons.

Supporting Cast

QB Baker Mayfield is back under center for the Bucs. He’s coming off career bests last year in:

• Passing yards
• Passing TDs
• Completion rate
• Yards per pass attempt
• Pro Football Focus passing grade

Tampa Bay also returns all five starters from last year’s offensive line, which ranked second in Pro Football Focus run blocking grade and fifth in ESPN pass block win rate.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

Former OC Liam Coen left to take the Jaguars’ HC job this offseason after leading Tampa Bay to top-four finishes in points and total yards last year.

He’ll be replaced by Josh Grizzard, who was the team’s passing game coordinator last year. Grizzard spent the previous seven seasons with the Dolphins, moving from offensive quality control to WRs coach. He has no play-calling experience at any level, but the Bucs are prioritizing continuity after the big 2024 season under Coen.

Production & Efficiency Trends

There were 12 WRs drafted between picks 14 and 24 (within five spots on either side of Egbuka) over the previous five drafts. Here’s how those guys finished among WRs in PPR points per game as rookies:

• Jerry Jeudy - 64th
• CeeDee Lamb - 35th
• Jalen Reagor - 100th
• Justin Jefferson - 10th
• Kadarius Toney - 65th
• Jahan Dotson - 44th
• Treylon Burks - 70th
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba - 61st
• Quentin Johnston - 100th
• Zay Flowers - 34th
• Jordan Addison - 31st
• Brian Thomas Jr. - 15th

That’s two top-15 finishes and five of 12 (42%) inside the top-36.

Smith-Njigba, who arrived in Seattle behind a pair of established veterans, is the best approximation for Egbuka’s 2025 situation.