Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who was rated as a top-10 national prep recruit coming out of Washington state, enters the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the more interesting Day 2 buys at the position.
He made a dent on special teams as a true freshman for the Buckeyes before bursting onto the scene in 2022 with more than 1,200 total yards and a dozen scores.
Life wasn’t as kind on Egbuka as a junior. An ankle injury cost him three games, and his healthy production wasn’t exactly impressive as the offense turned to Kyle McCord after C.J. Stroud left for the pros. Will Howard stepped in as the starter in 2024, and a healthy Egbuka once again thrived with competent quarterback play, showing reliance and proving he wasn’t just a one-year wonder.
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 202 pounds
40 time: 4.48 seconds
Table: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (2021-24)
*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)
Pros
- Excellent feel for exploiting zone coverage and natural instincts to work back to a quarterback under duress
- Fluid athlete with plus ball skills and flashes late hands
- Respectable route skills with glimpses of elite potential
- Creates separation with subtly with body control and hand fighting
- Reliable hands and great concentration
- Fearless in traffic and at his best working the middle of the field
- Athletic enough for manufactured touches out of the backfield and around the line of scrimmage
- A fair amount of experience returning kicks early in his Ohio State career
- Can play inside and out but is at his best from the slot
- Team captain
- Ideal fit for a modified West Coast offense
Cons
- Average top-end speed — he’s tough to catch if he has a step but rarely outright breaks away
- Can get knocked off his route vs. stronger press corners
- Mostly a two-level receiver in the route tree — limited vertical profile
- Despite being adequately built, his blocking game needs a lot of attention from NFL coaches
- Injury-shortened 2023 season required tightrope surgery on his ankle — gritty playing style and role opens him up to increased injury concern
Fantasy football outlook
Egbuka offers more than enough to find himself landing on Day 2, and he has the traits to make early-career contributions.
In the best system fit will be in a West Coast design with a creative coach. San Francisco jumps out immediately as not only is an ideal landing spot but also is a team in need. Any number of the Shanahan-based offshoots around the league make plenty of sense. Houston has a clear hole to fill, and the C.J. Stroud connection to Egbuka, too. New Orleans, the Los Angeles Rams, and Miami all could be in play given their connections to this style of play.
One player instantly comes to mind when looking to make an NFL comparison, and that’s Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown. It’s not a perfect one-to-one comp, but they share a similar playing style and fit the same role. Egbuka has a little more versatility than St. Brown but isn’t quite on the same overall level yet as an aerial product.
