Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, finishing as their career receptions leader prior to being selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Emeka Egbuka

Egbuka with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2025
No. 9 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(2002-10-14) October 14, 2002 (age 22) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:	Steilacoom (Steilacoom, Washington)
College:	Ohio State (2021–2024)
NFL draft:	2025: 1st round, 19th pick
Career history
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2025–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
CFP national champion (2024) Second-team All-Big Ten (2022) 2× third-team All-Big Ten (2023, 2024)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Egbuka was born in Tacoma, Washington and grew up in Steilacoom, Washington.^[1][2] He began playing football at a young age, and initially wanted to play college football for the Oregon Ducks. His admiration for the program came from their uniforms and his idolization of late Ducks linebacker Fotu Leiato, a fellow Steliacoom native and childhood mentor of Egbuka.^[3][4] He attended Steilacoom High School and was named the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after he caught 83 passes for 1,607 yards and 25 touchdowns and compiled 2,240 all-purpose yards with three punt return touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns.^[5][6] Egbuka was also a standout Baseball athlete, playing Center-fielder throughout his youth career. When he was 8 years old, he won the MLB's Pitch, Hit & Run competition for his age group. Egbuka credits baseball as a contributor for his athleticism, and claims it helped him develop into a better wide receiver.^[7][8] Egbuka was rated a five-star recruit and committed to play college football at Ohio State.^[9]

College career

Egbuka joined the Ohio State Buckeyes as an early enrollee in January 2021, forgoing his senior season at Steilacoom which had been moved to the spring due to COVID-19.^[10] He played in 11 games as a freshman and caught nine passes for 191 yards.^[11] He also returned 20 kickoffs for 580 yards and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference.^[12][13] As a sophomore in 2022, Egbuka recorded over 1,000 receiving yards. He set the school's career receptions record during his 2024 senior season with 205.^[14]

Egbuka with Ohio State in 2024

College statistics

Season	GP	Receiving				Rushing				Kick returns				Punt returns
		Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
2021	11	9	191	21.2	0	—	—	—	—	20	580	29.0	0	—	—	—	—
2022	13	74	1,151	15.6	10	11	87	7.9	2	1	25	25.0	0	11	75	6.8	0
2023	10	41	515	12.6	4	5	25	5.0	0	—	—	—	—	7	23	3.3	0
2024	16	81	1,011	12.5	10	8	33	4.1	0	1	16	16.0	0	1	-1	-1.0	0
Career[15]	60	205	2,868	14.0	24	24	145	6.0	2	22	621	28.2	0	19	97	5.1	0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Vertical jump
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m)	9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m)	4.45 s	1.50 s	2.57 s	4.12 s	38 in (0.97 m)
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[16][17][18]

Egbuka was selected in the first round with the 19th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2025 NFL draft.^[19]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Rushing					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2025	TB	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Egbuka is a Christian.^[20] Egbuka's grandfather Ron Frederick was elected mayor of DuPont, Washington, in 2020.^[21]