“More Explosive Than I Was Giving Him Credit For”
June 28th, 2025
Ponder for moment that Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht invested a first-round pick into rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, a premium draft choice the Bucs were ecstatic to make. And now Licht evaluates Egbuka higher than he did two months ago.
Damn.
That’s downright scary.
Receivers like Egbuka chosen at No. 19 overall are guys clubs expect to be Pro Bowlers and No. 1 receivers.
The Jaguars picked stud receiver Brian Thomas at No. 23 overall last season. Dude was in the Pro Bowl and has All-Pro talent.
The Chiefs traded up to grab receiver Xavier Worthy at No. 28 overall. The 49ers’ receiver pick at No. 31 overall Ricky Pearsall recovered well from getting shot in the chest at close range to finish last season looking like a No. 1 receiver. That’s likely the role he’ll fill for San Francisco this season.
Is Egbuka a No. 1 receiver?
The Bucs don’t need him to be, but if he’s not of that caliber, then a major mistake was made.
Licht is very confident Egbuka is more than worthy of his draft status.
“I think he’s a little bit more explosive than I was giving him credit for, too, just now seeing him live every day,” Licht said of Egbuka while visiting Sports Day Tampa Bay.
Licht added that while Egubka was a safe pick in the team’s draft board at No. 19, Licht doesn’t like the word “safe” because it implies that talent might be lacking. And he said that’s not the case at all.
Joe doesn’t want to hear chatter about the Bucs drafting a No. 2 receiver midway through the first round. It’s too nauseating a concept.
Hopefully everyone at One Buc Palace views Evans, Godwin and Egbuka as No. 1 receivers — and they deliver as such.
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June 28th, 2025 at 2:53 pm
At some point next year Mayfield will have Evans, Godwin and Egbuka at WR, Otton at TE with Irving lined up at RB. If you’re a DC your best hope is to keep blitzing Mayfield and hope it gets their quickly. Otherwise that’s the most intimidating group of skill starters in the NFL. No other group will have that much talent, depth and experience to contend with across the board.
As long as the new OC Grizzard doesn’t screw it up, the 2025 Bucs have every reason to make a deep playoff run.
June 28th, 2025 at 3:04 pm
… not to mention the Randy Mossesque as a rookie… Mr Jalen McMillan. If he continues his late 2024 season surge into 2025… will become the “hard to guard” room for sure.
June 28th, 2025 at 3:08 pm
LouisFriend Says:
“Mayfield will have Evans, Godwin and Egbuka at WR, Otton at TE with Irving lined up at RB”
Yea – that’s gonna be tough on Defenses alright…. Pick your poison basically…
Either someone will be wide open, or there will be at least a couple mismatches available on any given pass play – like Evans 1 on 1 on the outside or Otten vs a LBer over the middle or Bucky in the flat vs a safety who started out lined up 9 yards away from him….
June 28th, 2025 at 3:11 pm
Agree with Louis.
If Dennis is healthy, this could be a very good season.
LFG!!!
June 28th, 2025 at 3:37 pm
@ Louis Friend et al,
I will try to up your ante a bit with a pipe dream by sometimes substituting White for Otton in a Pressure Package.
Line up Bucky in the backfield, Godwin and and White as chippers just outside the tackles about two yards deep, and line up Evans and Egbuka out wide on the line of scrimmage. You could rotate Tucker with Bucky in the same formation if you want a stouter RB to help in pass protection or to surprise the defense with an inside run.
Obviously, this is not a power run formation. But, when you need a quick score and anytime an opposing defense looks tired, go no huddle with this formation, dinking and dunking, and keeping an eye open for a big play opportunity anytime the defense makes a mistake against any of those deadly threats.
June 28th, 2025 at 5:04 pm
Watching his college tape, e2 doesn’t look particularly explosive – just very very professional. BTW, that’s not a knock. In my mind a professional WR, at the highest levels possible, would be Jerry Rice – not a guy who ever looked explosive, but who was just very smooth, made plays, and at the end of the game you look at the box score and went, wow. But, with that said, if e2 is more explosive in the pros than he was in college, what a huge bonus, and would very much keep in the mold of Godwin who shocked everyone with a 4.42 speed, because on his college tape, he too just looked like a very solid professional WR, but once he got to the pros, he was a lot faster and stronger than people thought, and has had an amazing career so far.
As for e2 being a #1 WR – God I hope not, because if that happens it means Evans and Godwin both got hurt. Hopefully e2 isn’t needing to be a #1 WR for a few years.
June 28th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
Ppl mostly compare him to Godwin and I see the resemblance. But I see a little terry mclaurin in his game. He’s not a burner but I don’t think he’s going to have any issues playing on the outside.
June 28th, 2025 at 10:57 pm
I disagree Munch with the assessment part way on Godwin.
He had a faster 40 time at the combine than expected but Godwin never looked fast to me. He looked strong and solid and professional. But never fast.
I actually do not remember a regular season game where I said that I thought he looked fast. I certainly could be wrong, and others have seen his better than average NFL speed.
Rice ran away from people. Godwin catches so many things and makes himself such a professional receiver to get in zones to make catches, but I never remember him running away from folks like Rice did maybe 30 times in his career.
June 28th, 2025 at 11:00 pm
So he needs to start his career with at least 1000 yards. So he can challenge Evans. Is he that good? Is he that good of a number one receiver. Let’s “hope”. Go Bowles!
June 28th, 2025 at 11:44 pm
Kenny Bell had OTA accolades. So did Jaelon Darden.
Let’s see something before we wonder why he goes invisible, like Palmer, Jarrett, this Kam Johnson fraud, or the dwarf from Washington.
June 29th, 2025 at 3:17 am
I’m thinking Grizz is thrilled. He can line Buka up pretty much anywhere he pleases. At least till Mike retires. That may lead to some pretty tough to defend offense. Grizz can get plenty creative me thinks.
Go Bucs!
June 29th, 2025 at 6:10 am
Surprises can be good! With Mike and Chris guiding him too, greatness can prevail.
June 29th, 2025 at 7:55 am
Godwin will open the season on the IR. That’s why this dude was drafted.
June 29th, 2025 at 8:24 am
@Jeff – That was my reaction at Ray Jay when we drafted him. Couldn’t believe it. Second reaction was that I hope we have an out clause in that big contract if the recovery from the ankle goes sideways.
June 29th, 2025 at 8:50 am
Jeff Says:
June 29th, 2025 at 7:55 am
Godwin will open the season on the IR. That’s why this dude was drafted.
I seriously doubt we drafted a receiver in the first just because Godwin might miss 4 games. A bit more goes into it than that imo.
June 29th, 2025 at 10:12 am
Rod Munch- you know how some guys run so effortlessly it doesn’t really look like they’re doing much? E² is a legit 4.4 40 guy and his get off is especially elite, at sub 1.5 that’s world class- but i guess he makes it look so easy it doesn’t ever jump out on film. However once you start to see his every play every game after game like i did as an tOSU fan, you realize very few can catch him from behind and he’s constantly out in front of everyone. I’d expected us to go defense round one, but I’m excited we drafted him, and while i admit part of that is bring an OSU fan, I expect him to have the ability to make pro bowls season after season, without doubt. The most catches in tOSU history and I can’t remember a drop. He makes it look easy because he’s that good, he’s deceptive in that way. He’s been a professional about everything since he was a HS player, and he developed at tOSU and you know what to expect from our WRs. Hes a pro bowl guy for certain.
June 29th, 2025 at 11:52 pm
Geno711 – I don’t actually disagree with you, I wasn’t comparing Godwin to Rice, with as much as I like Godwin, he’s not Rice. But Godwin gets all those yards, all those catches, because he’s faster than you think. I know Rice ran a 4.7, but obviously he wasn’t a 4.7, he just had a bad day or tanked his workout because he wanted to fall in the draft (or collusion with a team, I wouldn’t put it past guys at the time).
But I just mean, watching e2, his college tape, he just looks very smooth, very effortless, but also not what I’d label explosive – in that regard, he reminds me Godwin – except Godwin looks a lot bigger and stronger to my eye, but Godwin in college didn’t stand out to me as looking all that big or strong either.
In any case, nothing I said about any of the guys is a knock or negative, it’s just about watching tape, and then looking at the box score, and seeing them doing it against top guys and nothing thinking they look special, but the results are always there.
June 29th, 2025 at 11:56 pm
Daniel Dream – yeah, I don’t disagree with that at all, and like I said, nothing I wrote is a negative, it’s just a different play style. To me, when I think explosive, you think at the highest level of someone like Tyreek Hill – or even on this team, Tez Johnson. e2 looks so effortless in his play, it never comes off as explosive, yet the results are there – again to me that’s a professional WR, with the peak example being Rice who wasn’t juking and spinning, he was just a smooth runner who always got results.