The Ohio State football program has produced some of the best receivers in the NFL over the last few years. Pretty much every season, a new receiver is drafted in the first round. Five consecutive Buckeyes have been taken in the first round at that position, with Carnell Tate being the latest one.
Emeka Egbuka was the first-round receiver taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only was he great for the Ohio State Buckeyes, but he was excellent as a rookie last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After being drafted 19th overall, he quickly became the top option down the stretch for the team.
Now, Egbuka is definitely the number-one receiver for the team with Mike Evans no longer on the roster. Egbuka seems up to the task, based on his play as a rookie. During OTAs, Egbuka wowed everyone on the team with an incredible one-handed snag.
Former Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka has epic one-handed catch during OTAs
The Buccaneers posted the fantastic catch on social media for all to see.
We know y'all have been waiting for this one... THE Emeka catch 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/DLs0ax2O8l
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 28, 2026
Egbuka did a lot of this last season as a rookie, as well. He was just a really good player, and it's pretty clear he was the right choice for the Buccaneers at that spot. As a rookie, he finished with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers should only go up with Evans out of the picture.
What Egbuka gives Tampa is a receiver who can be moved all over the field and execute different routes in a variety of ways. His separation is strong, as is his ability to make contested catches. As seen in that video, he can also make extremely difficult catches look quite routine.
Emeka Egbuka is keeping the Ohio State WR pipeline going
It's clear that Egbuka has what it takes to be the next great receiver to be an impact player in the NFL. His former teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best receiver in the league right now. Egbuka is shooting to surpass him at some point in the next few years.
Next season, Jeremiah Smith will be the latest Buckeye to be taken in the first round. He has a shot to be a top-three pick and has an outside shot at being the number-one overall pick. If the team that owns that pick already has a franchise quarterback, Smith could be looking at that top spot.
Cortez Hankton is the one who is in charge of getting these very talented receivers to commit to the Ohio State football program now. Brian Hartline is now a head coach, so Hankton has a lot of pressure on him to keep the recruiting at an elite level. It's certainly not an easy task.
Tampa Bay is expected to be one of the favorites to win the NFC South this season. Offensively, Egbuka should only improve from his rookie campaign. Baker Mayfield is fully healthy, so those two should combine to put up a lot of yards this year.
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