When he was with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Emeka Egbuka was a reliable receiver. Egbuka was good enough that he ended up being the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even as a rookie a year ago, he ended up being the top receiving option for most of the season.
Egbuka had such a strong year that Tampa Bay was okay with letting Mike Evans walk in free agency. He decided to sign a deal with the 49ers, so that signaled that Egbuka was going to become the undisputed top option. However, he has suffered a scary injury in training camp.
Former Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka suffers scary leg injury during training camp
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Egbuka suffered an injury during training camp that forced him to the sidelines. He limped over to the training table and did not return to practice.
#Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka limped off with athletic trainers. Was examined on the sideline table for a while. Hard to see exactly what’s up from where we are but he’s still on the table and hasn’t returned.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 12, 2026
It's a shame that Egbuka got injured. There is no update as of the time of this publishing of what injury Egbuka sustained. The good news was that he was able to walk and put weight on his leg, so it doesn't seem to be anything that is too serious to keep him out for a long period of time.
As a rookie, Egbuka had 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns. He had 36 more targets than the next closest receiver on the Buccaneers, so Baker Mayfield clearly has some trust in him. Egbuka led the team in receiving, which is part of the reason why they felt comfortable letting Evans go.
Egbuka did hit a bit of a rookie wall at the end of the year as the Buccaneers collapsed. After having a huge lead in the NFC South, they lost seven of their final nine games to miss the playoffs. Egbuka is hoping to get them back in the postseason this year.
Former Buckeye receivers continue to excel in the NFL
Egbuka wasn't the only former Ohio State receiver to have a big year last season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the league in receiving and helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl. He was rewarded with a humongous contract in the offseason. Chris Olave led the Saints in receiving and got paid, too.
Garrett Wilson is still the best offensive player that the New York Jets have, and he led the team in receiving a year ago despite only playing in 7 games. All of these players prove that if you want to be an elite receiver, going to Ohio State is the smart decision.
That's why five-star receivers such as Chris Henry Jr., Jamier Brown, and Jett Harrison are either on the roster or committed to the program. Jeremiah Smith will become the sixth straight Ohio State receiver to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft once he declares next season, as well.
Ohio State has created a great legacy of receivers that Cortez Hankton is hoping to keep going. Egbuka should be the next great one in the NFL, as long as he stays healthy.
Add us as a preferred source on Google