Emeka Egbuka Showing He Has What It Takes

I loved Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka when I evaluated six games in 2022 and I’m continuing to love him after evaluating every snap he took in 10 games during the 2023 season.

Egbuka isn’t the game-breaking home run threat one might think of when it comes to a day-one pick, but he is a catching machine who will consistently move the chains in the NFL.

He is exactly the type of luxury pick a playoff team will look to make between 18-32 in the 2025 NFL Draft.

He’s an ideal slot (No. 3 receiver) a team can pick up and add to their offensive firepower.

The more I watch him, the more special he becomes.

What did he put on film?

This prospect (long of 28 yards in 2023) has the elite physical traits necessary to get open. He looks like an accomplished route runner who knows how to get open against man (when a cornerback is matched up with the responsibility of just covering him) and zone coverage (defensive backs are assigned certain areas of the field to cover as opposed to attempting to defend a specific receiver).

He is a constant threat in the short to intermediate route levels (0-19 yards).

Crafty

That’s the one word I would use to describe him. He knows how to work and set up cornerbacks to create throwing windows for receivers.

Glue hands

While one of my biggest criticisms of Egbuka is the average catch radius that he shows on his game film, make no mistake, this guy catches about everything within his reach.

Having dependable hands is a big piece of the puzzle when it comes to evaluating receivers.

Statistics don’t always tell the story, but they can help to confirm and cross-check what’s on the game film, and in this case, they do.

2023:

41 receptions on 65 targets (63% catch rate).

Element of surprise

Another element Egbuka brings to an offense is his versatility.

He’s sort of a jack-of-all-trades type who can not only go out on routes, but he can also go in motion and take a handoff (jet-sweep) and against Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, he even attempted to throw a pass.

He has that to him.

YAC

One of the most important attributes a receiver can have in the NFL is the ability to pick up additional yardage after the catch, also known as “YAC.”

Egbuka has a muscular athletic build with strong and thick thighs and fully developed calve muscles. Plus, he’s determined.

Translation = He’s tough to bring down after the catch.

While he didn’t show the ability to run away from defenses on tape, he did show he commonly was able to pick up additional yardage after making the grab.

Decoy

This is one of the more “hidden things,” I discovered when watching Egbuka’s full body of work last season, his knack for helping to clear out areas for his teammates.

Scouting is all about being able to identify patterns and tendencies on the film.

Both on passing and run plays he has this way about him to take defenders away from the offensive play flow when he is not the intended receiver. I noticed it on running plays too.

#2 Emeka Egbuka 6-foot-1, 205 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 83.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 11, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Emeka Egbuka: First Round Spark Plug (2022: 6 games evaluated)

2023 game film evaluated: Indiana, Youngstown State, Western Kentucky, Notre Dame, Maryland, Rutgers, Michigan State, Minnesota, Michigan, and Missouri (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Tough and strong-willed polished possession receiver. Long arms. Scrappy. Whipper snapper. Tends to work out of the slot. Occasionally lines up out wide. Good but not great straight-line speed. Could not separate deep. More quick than fast. Stops and restarts rapidly. Knows how to sell routes. Instinctual to get to the spot. Above average change of direction. Competitive. Solid blocker. Plays like football is important to him.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season?

1. Catch radius?

2. Deep threat?

3. Does he stay healthy?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.