by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of cleveland.com.
The NFL Draft talk never ends and we are here at Draft 412 in an effort to keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars. From today until draft night 2024, we will bring you mocks, profiles, team needs, and everything else related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Ohio State Wide Receiver Emeka Egbuka
Name- Emeka Egbuka
Pos- WR
Team- Ohio St.
HT/WT- 6’1” 205 lbs
Born- 10/18/2002
Home – Dupont, WA
Emeka Egbuka was a heavily recruited wide receiver from Steilacoom High School, was rated a 4-star recruit from ESPN, and a 5-star recruit from 247 Sports. Egbuka had 199 catches for 3,907 yards (19.6 avg) and 61 touchdowns during his high school career. Egbuka was named the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Washington.
As a freshman in 2021, Egbuka played in 8 games and had 9 receptions for 191 yards (21.2 avg.) Just the fact that Egbuka was able to see the field as a freshman with Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba was an accomplishment in its own right.
As a sophomore in 2022, Egbuka showed the Buckeyes that he is another in a long line of standout wide receivers to attend Columbus. In 12 games, Egbuka had 74 receptions for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns. His QB rating when targeted was an astounding 129.1. Egbuka was honored with a 2nd team All-Big Ten selection.
Egbuka is an aggressive route runner who is very competitive fighting for combat catches regularly. He’s a smooth route runner with excellent cutting ability that puts pressure on defensive backs trying to cover him one-on-one. Once Egbuka makes a catch, he has the ability to break tackles and puts up excellent yards after the catch.
Egbuka has near-elite speed and was timed at 4.42 at the All-American Combine in 2019 and could end up being the fastest wide receiver in the 2024 class. He has an explosive first step and can swiftly get behind a defense to make big plays.
With his route running as effortless and as smooth as it is, Egbuka is a three-level threat on his routes. He is a willing run blocker and can really help a running game out with his competitive drive.
Egbuka brings a lot to the table and if there is a slight downfall with his game, it is with his drops. Egbuka seems to lose concentration at times and drop the easy pass on occasion. He struggles at times on the 50/50 balls down the sideline and has put up better numbers as a slot receiver over being spread out wide.
Strengths
Speed (4.42 in 2019)
Three-Level Threat
Route running
Excellent run blocker
High Compete Level
Weaknesses
Concentration drops on occasion
Majority of time as a slot receiver
50/50 balls/balls on the outside of the hashes
Final Analysis
Emeka Egbuka has the pure talent to be a future NFL All-Pro. His route running reminds Draft 412 of an A.J. Brown. He has a chance to be a weapon with his elite speed and will likely go late first/early second round.
Prediction- Late first/ Early second round