The Buccaneers turned plenty of heads in April by drafting star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 overall. Despite a loaded wide receiver room, especially considering that they should be getting a healthy Chris Godwin back for Week 1, Tampa Bay felt that they couldn’t pass up on a talented player like Egbuka. After watching Egbuka work this offseason, Bucs veteran Mike Evans shared strong praise for the rookie. Evans called Egbuka “a very polished, very well-rounded player” who “looks like a running back,” but “catches like Chris Godwin,” according to Kevin Patra, Senior News Writer at NFL.com.
Bucs May Need ‘Very Well-Rounded’ Rookie to Contribute Right Away
One thing that Bucs fans are most looking forward to is their young offensive talent, especially at receiver. The “very polished, very well-rounded” rookie Emeka Egbuka is the best example so far. Even with his high-level production in college, many were surprised that Tampa Bay selected him in the first round. It even surprised his teammate, Mike Evans, writes Patra.
“I didn’t [expect to draft a receiver] either, but you know Jason has always been great in drafts, and we wanted to pick the best players available, and from what I’ve seen so far, he was definitely the best player available,” said Evans. “So, looking forward to a great year for him, Emeka.”
Egbuka has clearly caught the attention of Mike Evans this offseason. Any time you receive praise from a guy with 11 consecutive seasons of 1,000+ receiving yards, it’s a great sign.
With high-level talent in the receiving room, Bucs GM Jason Licht notes that first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard may be tempted to institute more of a rotation.
“Well there is a rotation as well,” Licht said, according to ESPN‘s Jenna Laine. “We can play with four wide receivers, as well. There [are] a lot of things that [new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard] is licking his chops about right now. You can’t have too many good ones.”
“Godwin played 87% of snaps before going down with the injury, up from the roughly 80% he’s had throughout the rest of his career,” writes Laine. “Evans and [Jalen] McMillan each had 70.2%, with Evans’ snap counts starting to drop over the last two seasons.”
Laine also notes that Tampa Bay “lined up in four receiver sets only one time last season.” But during Grizzard’s last two years as Dolphins OC (2022-2023), Miami “ran four receiver sets at the third-highest rate.” They also ran four receiver sets “more than any other team on third down specifically at 43 plays.”
With “very well-rounded” players like Emeka Egbuka at his disposal, first-time offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard should be ecstatic.
Injuries to Godwin, Evans ‘100 Percent’ Factored Into Bucs’ Decision to Draft Egbuka
The Buccaneers receiving room is one of the most expensive in the league, trailing only the Bengals. So, it makes sense that it’s also one of the rooms with the most experience and talent. Tampa Bay was the only team with 2 receivers with PFF overall grades of 86 or better last season, with Godwin earning an 86.3 and Evans earning an 89. In all fairness, Godwin only played 7 games before his season-ending injury, so the grade is technically incomplete. Plus, JaMarr Chase became just the 5th player in the Super Bowl era to win the receiving triple crown. So, maybe the fact that he finished with a grade of 85.8 could point to PFF being an imperfect science. But, I digress.
Mike Evans has been one of the most consistent wide receivers in league history during his career with the Buccaneers. He’s never missed more than 3 games and has reached the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first 11 seasons. Only Jerry Rice, the undisputed greatest receiver of all time, has more 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14). So, there’s no question that losing Evans for any period of time will hurt the Bucs offense tremendously.
We got a glimpse of what the Bucs would look like without Evans last season, and it wasn’t pretty. During the 4 games in which Mike Evans dealt with his hamstring injury, the Bucs went 0-4, losing 3 consecutive one-score games.
In addition to losing Evans, the Bucs also lost Chris Godwin for the season during their Week 7 loss to the Ravens. Godwin got off to a phenomenal start, leading the league with 50 receptions. The 8th-year pro had been on pace for his best season yet before dislocating his ankle.
Bucs GM Jason Licht said that the injuries to Godwin and Evans “100 percent” factored into their decision to draft Egbuka, according to Laine.
“You saw what happened last year,” Licht said. “We had some injuries and the coaches did a great job with what we had, but adding another great receiver. … Todd [Bowles] has said all along, I think he told you guys back in March [at the annual league meetings]: ‘A good offense can help a defense.’ It’s about scoring points.”
Laine notes that Evans has been using his teammates’ youth and motivation as inspiration “to be great and chase another Lombardi Trophy.”
“It gives me more motivation like I was once in those shoes, and I remember that hunger, and it helps me keep that hunger, seeing young, great players like that that are hungry,” Evans said.
With young, “well-rounded” receivers like Egbuka pushing veterans like Evans and Godwin, the Bucs should light up the scoreboard.
Bucs Vet Shares Strong Praise for ‘Very Well-Rounded’ Rookie WR