Emeka Egbuka 2025 NFL Draft & Dynasty Profile
Emeka Egbuka 2025 NFL Draft & Dynasty Profile
- Position: WR
- School: Ohio State
- Class: Senior
- Date of Birth: October 18, 2002
- Height: 6-1
- Weight: 205 lbs
Emeka Egbuka Bio
Emeka Egbuka is a former five-star recruit from the class of 2021. He was rated as a top-10 overall prospect and the No. 1 wide receiver coming out of Steilacoom, Washington. He did not play his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead enrolling early at Ohio State. Egbuka joined the Buckeyes at the same time as Marvin Harrison Jr. and joined a receiver room that also included Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Because of that, Egbuka was buried on the depth chart as a true freshman in 2021. He caught just nine passes in 10 games for 191 scoreless yards.
Egbuka’s role shifted significantly in 2022, becoming one of the team’s top options. Catching balls from quarterback CJ Stroud, Egbuka racked up 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns on 74 receptions. He ranked third in the Big Ten in each of those categories. Egbuka added another 87 yards as a runner on 11 attempts. He finished the season ninth in the nation in receiving yards and was named second-team all-conference.
With Stroud departing for the NFL plus knee and ankle injuries to boot, Egbuka’s production saw a major dip in 2023. He finished with just 41 receptions, 515 yards, and four touchdowns. After the season, Egbuka had the tightrope procedure for his ankle injury.
Egbuka opted to forgo the NFL Draft and return for his senior season in 2024. In doing so, he caught 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games on the way to a National Championship.
College Stats
Emeka Egbuka college stats courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
- Route Running
- Ball Tracking
- Body Control
- Reliable Option
- Full Route Tree
- YAC
- 23 career rush attempts
- 41 career kick/punt returns
- Age 19.9 breakout
- 5.7 best season receptions per game (2022)
Negatives
- Limited catch radius considering his size
- Not reliable in contested situations
- Easily challenged by physical defenders
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Slot WR
NFL Comp: Robert Woods
Performance Score: Coming Soon
Draft Projection: First Round
NFL Draft & Dynasty Outlook:
Emeka Egbuka is a physical slot receiver whose game should translate well to a productive role in the NFL. Egbuka is a nuanced route runner who is smooth getting in and out of his breaks. He creates easy separation with incredible quickness, lateral agility, and change-of-direction. Egbuka is explosive off the line and has enough speed to make defenses respect the possibility that he’ll continue to run vertically. He’ll use that to his advantage and break off the route at the perfect moment. Egbuka tracks the ball well in the air and has reliable hands to make plays for his quarterback. The play isn’t over once he has the ball in his hands, though. Egbuka is excellent at creating additional yardage after the catch. He is a playmaker in the open field, a skill that he translated into becoming a productive kick returner during his time at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes used Egbuka primarily from the slot and he’ll likely do the same in the NFL. He has no hesitation to work over the middle of the field and take the hits that come along with it. He’s very comfortable in traffic and can run the full route tree from the slot. His effectiveness on the outside is hindered by a limited catch radius and subpar contested catch win rate. He doesn’t utilize his size and wingspan to its full extent when in those difficult one-one-one situations. Lining him up against a physical defender along the boundary is not the way to get the most out of Egbuka’s skill set.
Instead, NFL offenses will utilize him as a reliable chain-mover from the slot. He’ll be the guy quarterbacks turn to on third downs and must-have situations. He’ll fit great in an offense that runs a lot of 11-personnel and likes to use the quick passing game to get the ball in the hands of its playmakers. They’ll set up Egbuka to catch the ball underneath and turn up field and become that YAC monster. He won’t be much of a deep threat, but Egbuka will thrive in the short and intermediate areas. He will be where his quarterback needs him to be, when he needs him to be there. That’s a valuable asset to almost any offense in today’s timing and rhythm-based NFL.
Egbuka will likely come off the board in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In dynasty, he’ll be a safe choice in the second round of rookie drafts as a guy who can provide instant production and a ceiling of a high-end WR2 in PPR formats.
NEXT: Omarion Hampton 2025 NFL Draft & Dynasty Profile
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