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Buccaneers rookie Emeka Egbuka snags first NFL career touchdown from Baker Mayfield

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs09/07/25grant_grubbs_
Emeka Egbuka first NFL touchdown
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Emeka Egbuka, welcome to the NFL. On Sunday, the rookie wide receiver scored his first career touchdown in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 1 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Buccaneers were third-and-2 on the Falcons’ 30-yard line when quarterback Baker Mayfield found Egbuka downfield for the touchdown. The score evened the game at 10-10

It’s not a complete surprise to Egbuka already playing a large role for the Buccaneers. He was reportedly impressive during the team’s training camp and has been excited to contribute to the team.

“They have all the belief in the world of me, which gives me a ton of confidence to be able to go out there and do what God created me to do,” Egbuka said in August. “… “They’ve asked me to do a lot of things, which is exactly what I love.

“I want to be used in a ton of different ways, get the ball to me in creative ways, all that type of stuff. I try to be a Swiss Army knife.”

Before the Buccaneers selected Egbuka with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the star receiver spent four years at Ohio State. In his senior season at OSU, Egbuka tallied a career-high 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns.

With the standout season, he joined Marvin Harrison Jr. as only the second player in program history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons. For his efforts, he was named an All-Big Ten Third-Team selection.

He was also a team captain for the Buckeyes, guiding them to their first national championship since 2014. Egbuka notched six catches for 64 yards in the title game. Egbuka left Ohio State as the program leader in career receptions.

Experts expect Egbuka to only step up his game at the next level. Ahead of the draft in April, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided an in-depth analysis of Emeka Egbuka’s game, along with predictions for the WR’s career.

“Fluid athlete with good size and quality ball skills who works primarily from the slot,” Zierlein wrote. “Egbuka runs his routes with tempo and pace. He does a nice job of influencing coverage when needed. He lacks the explosiveness to race past the coverage and is a little tight in his hips getting in and out of breaks.

“Egbuka’s baseball background shows up with his laser-focused ball-tracking and ability to make sudden adjustments to bring throws in for a safe landing. He’s not elusive or sudden after the catch but is competitive and can squeeze out additional yardage. Egbuka projects as an early starter at slot for teams running heavy amounts of three-wideout sets.”