Devy Diamonds: Emeka Egbuka
Welcome to Devy Diamonds: Emeka Egbuka, a wide receiver out of Ohio State was a 5-star prospect. He went to Steilacoom High School in Steilacoom, Washington. Before committing to Ohio State Egbuka had multiple unofficial visits and Division-I offers. However, in December of 2020, he committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
As a freshman Egbuka saw minimal opportunity, but made the most of it. He caught 90% of his passes for 191 yards. Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave were the lead receivers during his freshman season.
During the 2022 season, Egbuka lined up opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. This season he would breakout for 1,151 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught 74 of 105 targets. Plus, he added 2 rushing touchdowns with 87 rushing yards.
Egbuka battled with an ankle injury he obtained in October of his junior season. He did see an action in 10 games. Through those 10 games, he saw 63 targets catching 41 of them. He only had 515 yards and 4 touchdowns.
2024 Outlook: What to Expect
Emeka Egbuka enters the season as the veteran wide receiver for the Buckeyes. However, he may continue to be the WR2 for the team with freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith entering the mix. Throughout his career when on the field Egbuka has been a reliable target catching 70.5% of his passes. He could become the favorable target for new quarterback Will Howard early in the season. But Ohio State is known as Wide Receiver University. They got this name by consistently recruiting top-tier wide receivers and utilizing each one based on their skill set.
The benefit is that Egbuka is a do-it-all type of receiver. He is a technician in his routes, but he also does well blocking for running backs. The blocking will benefit the new two-headed backfield that the Buckeyes will likely run. Egbuka’s biggest threat will not be other receivers, but his health. Can Egbuka stay healthy and give a performance like he did in 2022? If that answer is yes then he will be a first-round wide receiver in next year’s NFL draft. If that answer is no, then we may see him slip into day two of the NFL draft.
Strengths:
- Technician. He runs his routes swiftly and smoothly creating separation if need be and attacking from all areas of the field.
- Great speed. He can stretch the field or use his speed to gain extra yardage after the catch.
- Aggressive after the catch. He absorbs contact once the ball is in his hands picking up extra yardage.
- Acceleration. Off the line or after the catch he can reach his top speed quickly not giving defenders enough time to adjust.
- Elusiveness. Uses his hips and legs to change direction quickly.
- Effective blocker. He helps on the outside blocking corners to give the running backs space to move outside.
- Great size, but can play bigger than he is too.
- Great IQ. In high school, he played cornerback giving him some knowledge of the instinct opposing defensive backs may have.
Areas of Improvement
- Struggles in man-to-man coverage. Elite defenders can shadow him and take him out of the contest.
- Concentration. Egbuka is excellent at tracking the ball downfield, but over the past 2 seasons, he has 7 dropped passes.
- Contested catches. Only winning 50% of his contested catches. I would love to see more ball control at the point of contact.
- Health. Egbuka missed some time with a lower leg injury this past season. Eyes will be on how he returns for a full season with the Buckeyes.
Draft Stock: Eligible 2025
Consensus Projected Draft Capital: First-Round prospect
Personal Projected Draft Capital: First-Round prospect
Ideal Landing Spot: Houston Texans
Emeka Egbuka will be the next of a long list of Ohio State wide receivers to go in the first round. He is pro-ready now, but after battling an injury last season he decided to stay another year. He can be one of the first 4 receivers off the board in 2025. The NFL knows Brian Hartline produces quality NFL receivers. This could have an effect on heavy draft capital for Egbuka. He will need to repeat or come close to his 2022 production. As mentioned above, freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith will be hot off the press, and Egbuka cannot fall too far behind Smith’s expected production. Multiple teams can use a versatile receiving threat like Emeka Egbuka.
For this reason, I believe Egbuka will be a top-20 pick in the 2025 draft. He can be an alpha for any team. On the other hand, he can add great value as a WR2 for a team. Plus, he can also line up in the slot. His dynamic playing has allowed him to gain nearly 50% of his yards after the catch. He brings reliable hands and comfort to any quarterback catching 70.5% of his targets through 3 collegiate seasons. Egbuka will be a receiving threat for any team he joins, but there is one team particularly I would love to see draft him.
The Houston Texans would be a perfect fit for Emeka Egbuka. If he were to join the Texans he would be reunited with one of his college quarterbacks. CJ Stroud played with Egbuka in his 2022 breakout campaign. The Texans do have a plethora of wide receivers currently on their roster. But Nico Collins is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. Yes, the Texans obtained Stefon Diggs this past off-season, however, at the start of the 2025 season he will be 31 with 32 around the corner.
Diggs will still be able to hold onto his X-WR role, but Egbuka would become a solid receiver to play opposite of him. The chemistry between Stroud and Egbuka should translate over on day one. Now imagine an offense that has Stefon Diggs, Emeka Egbuka, and Tank Dell in the slot with CJ Stroud at quarterback. Fireworks. At least on paper that can be argued as one of the better receiving cores in the NFL.
The only problem here is I do not believe the Texans will have a top-20 pick. This means they will need to either trade up or hope that for whatever reason Emeka Egbuka slips down the draft board. During the 2024 NFL Draft, there were 3 wide receivers taken in the first 10 picks. The fourth wide receiver did not go until pick 23. As of right now, I have Emeka Egbuka as my WR3 in the 2025 class. If my predictions come true, and Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart stays another year then Egbuka would bump up to my WR2 of the 2025 class. He is a stellar talent that will bring an immediate impact to any team he joins. If the Houston Texans win the AFC South again then they will likely need to trade up to add him to their team.
Fantasy Impact
Emeka Egbuka will have a high upside as a WR2 with the potential to be a low-end WR1 for your team. He has the skill set and route tree to find success all over the field. The impact will be based on the receiving room that he joins. For example, Jaxson Smith-Njigba was a great prospect entering the NFL, however, he joined a receiving room with two established veterans. This hurt Smith-Njigba’s upside. Even now he is still WR3 on the depth chart in Seattle. But when on the field he can give WR2 upside. This is how I view Egbuka. He will dominate on the next level. His landing spot, however, could deter that from happening in week one to possibly year 2. Either way, Emeka Egbuka will be one of the first 10 picks off rookie boards come this time next season.
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