Can Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka Be Baker Mayfield's No. 1 Weapon?
Where you get drafted in the NFL matters, and for Emeka Egbuka, we are struggling to think of a better situation he could have landed than in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers.
Why? With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Egbuka can learn from two studs in his first year, plus he has Baker Mayfield as his quarterback, who is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.
Advertisement
Those are as good a reason as any.
So Emeka will slot into an offense as the third option, maybe fourth behind Jalen McMillan, who hauled in eight touchdowns in his rookie season, and that will allow Egbuka to quietly go about his development in the background while not getting a lot of attention from defences.
For NFL.com's Marc Ross, Egbuka has landed in one of the best situations to kickstart his career.
"Tampa Bay returns both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, meaning Egbuka can learn from them and make plays in the slot while the veteran duo garners all the attention on the perimeter," Ross writes. "I envision Egbuka playing on a track similar to that of his fellow former Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was third fiddle to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett early on in his career before eventually emerging as Seattle's leading receiver."
Egbuka To Buccaneers By Tony Fisher
Training camp will make for an interesting watch with McMillan and Egbuka "fighting" for the No. 3 receiver role, and if those two are your third pass-catching options, you're doing well.
Advertisement
Loving doing the dirty work in the run game, Egbuka will also be a key cog for Bucky Irving, too, because the Buccaneers are one of the best rushing teams in football, and show no signs of being anything other than that in 2025.
Egbuka comes into the NFL able to learn from a future Hall of Famer in Evans, a Pro Bowler in Godwin, so he can see how they go about their business both on and off the field, and there isn't pressure for him to come in and be a star from the get-go - he can ease himself into his career.
Where you get drafted matters.
Related: Bucs Sign Most Famous Rookie Free Agent To 3-Year Contract
Related: Bucs' Shilo Takes Comical Jab at Lonely Brother Shedeur
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Seattle man charged with string of burglaries at homes of NFL and MLB stars
Seattle man charged with string of burglaries at homes of NFL and MLB stars originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia A Seattle man was charged Friday with a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent current and former football and baseball players, marking the latest example of well-known athletes being targeted in home thefts. Earl Henderson Riley IV, 21, was charged with several counts of residential burglary in both occupied and unoccupied homes, along with first-degree robbery, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say Riley was the ringleader in a series of burglaries that started in February and involved stealing more than $6,000 in Louis Vuitton bags from Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo's home and over $194,000 in high end purses and jewelry from the home of the team's center fielder Julio Rodriguez. The thefts also involved taking several watches worth more than $100,000 from former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's home and a burglary at the home of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell, who is from Washington, although nothing was stolen in that instance, according to court documents. Prosecutors say there was also an attempted burglary at baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez's home. 'All people deserve to feel safe in their homes, and our office will continue to hold people accountable for criminal behavior,' King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said in a statement. There have been a slew of burglaries at the homes of well-known professional athletes across the U.S. in recent months. The players have been targeted because of the high-end products believed to be in their homes and sometimes the thefts happen when they are away with their teams for road games. The FBI has warned sports leagues about crime organizations targeting professional athletes. The NFL and NBA have also issued security alerts after burglaries at the homes of such star athletes as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press in November, the NFL said the homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become 'increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.' Riley is being held in the King County Jail on $1 million bail. It was not immediately clear whether he has a lawyer. The King County Department of Public Defense did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press and a spokesperson from the prosecuting attorney's office did not know whether Riley had a lawyer. The charges were the result of a monthslong investigation in which the county's prosecuting attorney's office worked with six police jurisdictions. Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gary Ernsdorff said in a statement that their work is not over. 'We still want to go and identify everybody who was involved and see if there are additional people that we can have sufficient evidence to charge,' he said. Riley is expected to enter his initial plea in court during his arraignment June 16. He has another pending case in King County Superior Court in which he is charged with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Action! Derrick Henry can parlay a 2,000-yard rushing season into a movie cameo with Adam Sandler
BALTIMORE (AP) — 'King Henry' finally has the attention of 'The Waterboy.' Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry has an offer from Adam Sandler, his favorite actor, to be cast in a movie if the five-time Pro Bowl selection rushes for 2,000 yards this season. The offer grew out of Henry's appearance on radio personality Dan Patrick's show this week to discuss his $30 million, two-year contract extension. Patrick told Henry he would get him in a Sandler movie if he made NFL history with a second 2,000-yard season. Two days later, Sandler made the offer himself in a video shown to Henry on the practice field. 'That's my dawg,' a wide-smiling Henry said while watching the video. Sandler, star of 'Happy Gilmore' and the remake of 'The Longest Yard' along with 'The Waterboy,' said he was in a hotel room while filming his greeting for Henry. At one point, Sandler turned the camera to show his bulldog. 'Two thousand yards-plus this year not only gets you in a movie, but we'll have a nice dinner together and talk about Dan Patrick's facial hair and how hard it is for him to grow it,' Sandler joked in a video posted Friday. 'I love ya and keep it up.' Sandler came up during Patrick's interview with Henry because Patrick was hearing a hoodie for the soon-to-be-released 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Sandler had given Patrick the hoodie. 'Can you do me a favor?' Henry asked Patrick. 'If you ever see him again, tell him I'm a really big fan and would really love to meet him one day.' Patrick left Sandler a voice message — and Sandler responded. 'Dan you're a real one!' Henry later wrote on social media. Henry rushed for 2,027 yards with Tennessee in 2020, when he was an All-Pro and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the fifth of his eight seasons with the Titans. Henry nearly did it again as a 30-year-old in a resurgence with the Ravens last season, when he ran for 1,921 yards. Saquon Barkley of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles led the NFL with 2,005 yards. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Action! Derrick Henry can parlay a 2,000-yard rushing season into a movie cameo with Adam Sandler
BALTIMORE (AP) — 'King Henry' finally has the attention of 'The Waterboy.' Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry has an offer from Adam Sandler, his favorite actor, to be cast in a movie if the five-time Pro Bowl selection rushes for 2,000 yards this season. The offer grew out of Henry's appearance on radio personality Dan Patrick's show this week to discuss his $30 million, two-year contract extension. Patrick told Henry he would get him in a Sandler movie if he made NFL history with a second 2,000-yard season. Two days later, Sandler made the offer himself in a video shown to Henry on the practice field. 'That's my dawg,' a wide-smiling Henry said while watching the video. Sandler, star of 'Happy Gilmore' and the remake of 'The Longest Yard' along with 'The Waterboy,' said he was in a hotel room while filming his greeting for Henry. At one point, Sandler turned the camera to show his bulldog. 'Two thousand yards-plus this year not only gets you in a movie, but we'll have a nice dinner together and talk about Dan Patrick's facial hair and how hard it is for him to grow it,' Sandler joked in a video posted Friday. 'I love ya and keep it up.' Sandler came up during Patrick's interview with Henry because Patrick was hearing a hoodie for the soon-to-be-released 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Sandler had given Patrick the hoodie. 'Can you do me a favor?' Henry asked Patrick. 'If you ever see him again, tell him I'm a really big fan and would really love to meet him one day.' Patrick left Sandler a voice message — and Sandler responded. 'Dan you're a real one!' Henry later wrote on social media. Henry rushed for 2,027 yards with Tennessee in 2020, when he was an All-Pro and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the fifth of his eight seasons with the Titans. Henry nearly did it again as a 30-year-old in a resurgence with the Ravens last season, when he ran for 1,921 yards. Saquon Barkley of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles led the NFL with 2,005 yards. ___ AP NFL:
