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USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka named ideal fit for Rams' offense
Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka named ideal fit for Rams' offense 3+ minutes of Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka cooking on All-22 to the greatest song of all time. • Safest prospect in the Draft. But make no mistake, the ceiling is NOT limited. Immediate impact player in the NFL. Hope you enjoy… — SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) March 15, 2025 Strengthening an asset is always a wise choice. For some teams, it may be the only option. The Los Angeles Rams revamped their WR room with the addition of All-Pro Davante Adams. The veteran wideout replaces former Rams Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, now in Seattle. Furthermore, the Rams re-signed WR Tutu Atwell to a one-year deal earlier this month. While the unit, which also features All-Pro Puka Nacu, will offer a solid trio of weapons for veteran QB Matthew Stafford, the 2025 NFL Draft could further help solidify the Rams' receiving corps as one of the best in the league. Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport listed the top WRs' biggest strengths and best team fits, naming Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka a fit for the Rams. It has already been a busy offseason for the Los Angeles Rams at wideout with the addition of Davante Adams and departure of Cooper Kupp. But a trio of Egbuka, Adams and Puka Nacua would be among the league's best at the position. Egbuka, who is ranked as the fourth-best WR on ESPN's draft board, enjoyed a breakout year with the Buckeyes last season, recording 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns while helping lead Ohio State to a victory in the 2025 CFP National Championship game. Emeka Egbuka Scouting Report: Fluid athlete with good size and quality ball skills who works primarily from the slot. 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. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound playmaker's career accolades include a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2022 and two-time third-team All-Big Ten in 2023 and 2024. The senior wide receiver finished his college career with 205 receptions, 2,868 receiving yards, and 24 touchdowns. Egbuka's 205 career catches rank first in Buckeye history, while his total receiving yards are the second-highest in the team's history, and he is tied for seventh all-time in career touchdowns in program history.
USA Today
28-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5 big standouts from Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine
5 big standouts from Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine The first day of on-field workouts at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine may have been the most important to the Carolina Panthers. Thursday's events from Lucas Oil Stadium saw the upcoming draft's top defensive linemen and linebackers get to work. These positions sit amongst the very top of the offseason to-do list for the Panthers, who are actively seeking to reshape their defensive front. Carolina's historically-bad defense not only allowed the most points ever in a season, but the unit also relinquished (by far) the most rushing yards per game in 2024 while accumulating the lowest pressure rate. So, yeah, you bet general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales were paying attention this afternoon. With that in mind, let's take a look at the top performers from the first day of the combine . . . C.J. West, DL, Indiana An underrated defensive tackle, West needed a proper showing in Indianapolis to help boost his stock as a potential middle-round selection. He did precisely that. The former Hoosiers standout measured in at 6-foot-1 and 316 pounds with 31.5-inch arms. He ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash and an above-average 1.73-second 10-yard split. West is a powerful interior player who can discard lineman in the trenches while flashing pass rush upside. His motor and effort will allow him to be an effective rotational rusher early in his career. Darius Alexander, DL, Toledo Alexander, one of the best small-school prospects of the class, has become a fan favorite. His athleticism on the All-22 film translated to testing and drills at the combine. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder measured in with 34-inch arms. He recorded a 4.95-second 40-yard dash with a 1.72-second 10-yard split—the fourth-best on Thursday amongst all defensive tackles. He may have just solidified himself as a Day Two selection. Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M Many knew that Stewart would test off the charts, and he did. But his combine performance was, somehow, much better than expected. Stewart, 6-foot-5, 267 pounds, hit a 40-inch jump in the vertical and a 10-foot, 11-inch jump in the broad. Those ranked, respectively, as the second-best and best marks of the edge group. He then lit up stopwatches with a 4.59-second 40-yard dash and a 1.58-second 10-yard split. Those are absurd numbers that may have locked Stewart in as a top-15 selection. So despite his lack of production in college, someone will take a big chance on his very special athleticism. James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee While his 31-inch vertical jump may not seem impressive, it's the explosiveness that matters with Pearce—and he put that on full display with his runs. At, 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, the two-time first-team All-SEC selection ran defensive line-highs with a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and a 1.56-second 10-yard split. Those times showcased the acceleration, fluidity and smoothness we saw in Tennessee. Pearce is making a case to be a top-20 selection, and perhaps a dark-horse choice at No. 8 overall for the Panthers. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama If there is a pure linebacker with a chance of jumping into the first round, it's Campbell. The former edge rusher-turned-off-ball linebacker was terrific on Thursday, running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and a 1.53-second 10-yard split. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder showed his hip fluidity, range, quickness and reactionary skills in drills. Carolina needs rangy, explosive and physical players in the front seven—and if they choose to trade up in the second round, Campbell could be there waiting for them.
