Steilacoom’s Emeka Egbuka selected by Tampa Bay Buccaneers in first round of 2025 NFL Draft
Emeka Egbuka’s NFL dreams have arrived.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the Steilacoom legend and College Football Playoff champion (Ohio State) with the 19th pick in Thursday’s 2025 NFL Draft, adding Egbuka to an illustrious list of first-round Buckeye receivers.
The 6-1, 203-pound wide receiver and Steilacoom native tallied 2,868 career receiving yards and 24 touchdowns across four seasons at Ohio State, capped by the Buckeyes’ 34-23 over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship last Jan. 20. Egbuka had six receptions for 64 yards with a 13-yard carry in the title game.
A walking highlight reel at Steilacoom High (2017-2021), Egbuka was The News Tribune’s 2019 All-Area Player of the Year after piling 2,240 all-purpose yards and 35 total touchdowns throughout his junior season. He guided Steilacoom to the school’s first-ever 2A state championship appearance, a 48-34 loss to Tumwater in 2019, and made national headlines with an unbelievable one-handed touchdown grab in the title game.
Egbuka was a two-time 2A SPSL MVP and member of The News Tribune’s 2021 class of Northwest Nuggets. Washington’s 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year was considered the nation’s No. 1 high school receiving recruit before his commitment to Ohio State, a five-star prospect who doubled as a Steilacoom safety with exceptional range.
“The NFL is very much a goal,” Egbuka told The News Tribune back in 2020. “Not just the NFL, but the first round. First round can really change your life and the others around you. After the first round, I’m looking for a long, healthy career and ultimately get myself in the Hall of Fame. … That’s just more exposure to the NFL, if your team is in the College Football Playoff every year. You’re going to be on TV, more NFL scouts are going to tune in.”
Egbuka joins a long list of Ohio State receivers at the NFL level, a program among the nation’s best at recruiting and developing wide receiver talent. It’s no coincidence: In 2020, he chose the Buckeyes over hometown Washington and powerhouses from Alabama to Clemson for that very reason.
“Quick background on the room (at OSU) I stepped into: There was Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, Jameson Williams, Kamryn Babb, Marvin Harrison Jr. That’s probably one of the craziest rosters I’ve ever heard in my life,” Egbuka said at last month’s NFL Combine. “Some of you can picture what that room was like. That was one of the reasons I decided to go to Ohio State.
“I didn’t want to go to a place where I wasn’t going to be challenged by my peers. … I wanted to go somewhere I could grow at an exponential rate. Because they were growing, as well.”
And he’s widely recognized as one of the draft’s smartest and safest selections. Egbuka earned a 6.37 prospect grade, meaning NFL scouts believe the 22-year-old “will eventually be a plus starter.” A perfect prospect score is 8.0.
In Tampa, he’ll join a wide receiver room headlined by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and former Washington Huskies wideout Jalen McMillan.
“Fluid athlete with good size and quality ball skills who works primarily from the slot,” NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein wrote for NFL.com, who compared Egbuka to Seattle wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. “Egbuka runs his routes with tempo and pace. He does a nice job of influencing coverage when needed. … He’s not elusive or sudden after the catch but is competitive and can squeeze out additional yardage.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 7:32 PM.
