Last season, former Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka was the best receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a rookie, he led the team in receiving yards and catches. He was the 19th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, proving he can be a true number-one receiver.
Heading into his second season, Egbuka has even bigger expectations following him around. However, Egbuka suffered an injury during training camp that saw him limp to the trainers. Now, Egbuka and the Buccaneers are getting some good news on his injury status.
Former Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka only suffers a minor injury
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Egbuka suffered a toe injury, and it's considered a minor one. That's great news for Egbuka, who did have some injury concerns early on in his Buckeye career. With it being considered minor, Egbuka likely won't be missing much time with the injury.
That's great news for the Buccaneers, who are putting a lot of pressure on him this season. With franchise icon Mike Evans now in San Francisco, Egbuka has even more pressure on him to be the true top option on offense. Any missed time would cause a major issue.
Egbuka made several highlight plays last season as a rookie. With him being a larger part of the offense, that also means he will garner more attention from opponents. That will make it tougher for him to get open, which could stunt his numbers early on in the season.
Of course, Egbuka is used to getting a lot of attention from defense. When he was with the Buckeyes, he was able to get open even when he was considered the top option early in the 2024 season before Jeremiah Smith really started to take over. He can use that knowledge to help this year.
Ohio State is going to continue to produce great receivers at the pro level
Egbuka is just the latest example of an Ohio State receiver performing well right away in the NFL. Carnell Tate was the fourth pick in April, and he already looks like he is playing well for the Titans. He will likely excel this year, assuming Cam Ward can get him the ball.
The Ohio State Buckeyes continue to be the premier producer of receivers, as Smith will be another first-round pick next month. Once he declares next year, there is a chance that he could end up being a top-three pick. There's an outside shot he's the top overall pick.
After that, Chris Henry Jr. is hoping to become the next great Ohio State receiver. He's a five-star freshman who is fighting for a starting spot right now in Fall camp. After him, Jamier Brown and Jett Harrison will be coming in the next two recruiting classes.
Cortez Hankton is trying to follow the legacy that Brian Hartline left when he was the wide receivers coach for so many years. So far, it looks like he can recruit at a high level, just like Hartline. Time will tell if he will be able to develop and coach up receivers, too.
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