NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight: Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka
Even the most casual of Steeler fans know that our wide receiver room was an absolute joke last season. Pickens was able to hit 900 yards despite missing three games, but he had a career low in yards per catch. The next leading wideout on the roster was Calvin Austin III who only had 548 yards in 17 games played. Van Jefferson, who was clearly WR2 all season long only had 276 yards total on the year. Those three guys combined for 9 total touchdowns. Unacceptable.
With all that being said, I actually don’t blame any of those guys for what transpired last season. Asking Van Jefferson to shoulder a role as big as his was an interesting choice to say the least. I actually think Calvin Austin III can be a lethal slot receiver for us if we can get competent play from our outside receivers. There’s no way Omar Khan decides to run it back with that core, and there’s a lot of different ways he can go about addressing our receiver problem.
That brings me to Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka. I’d say every single person that does some form of NFL Draft media has tied Egbuka to the Pittsburgh Steelers at some point. The Steelers find themselves in an unfortunate position this offseason where there are so many glaring holes that need to be addressed, including WR, CB, DL, and QB. Of all those positions, I think WR is the area where Steeler fans have been the loudest in their displeasure with the front office; mostly because most fans understand that a true long-term answer at QB is probably not going to be on our roster this coming season, regardless of who we bring in/draft/re-sign. I say all that to say that if the NFL draft started today, I think the Pittsburgh Steelers would be selecting Emeka Egbuka with the 21st overall pick, and that would be a good thing.
Egbuka has put several years of good tape out there for us to indulge in, making him Ohio State’s leading receiver in program history. Keep in mind, Ohio State alums include guys like Marvin Harrision Jr., Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Santonio Holmes…to name a few. His tape is consistent, and I’ll get to what that tells us in a moment, but I want to just give a shout out to the guy first. Egbuka was set to light the world on fire in the 2024 season before the emergence of freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka kept his mouth shut, and his head down, and kept working…and still went for 1,000+ yards and led the team in receptions with 81. Mel Kiper and Field Yates describe him as a perfect receiver for the Steelers: a guy who comes in and gives consistent production without a lot of the drama and hoopla that has become synonymous with Pittsburgh receivers. I believe Mel Kiper used the phrase: “...the ultimate professional.” It would be nice to finally see some humility in our WR room, and it sounds like Emeka Egbuka is a guy that can bring exactly that.
Even though Egbuka is rumored to be capable of running a 4.4 40, his play on the field doesn’t present him as a guy with blazing straight-line speed. What it does show is a shifty route runner who runs and plays with great strength; something that was sorely missed by the Steelers last season. In fact, there are instances on his tape where he maybe could’ve gotten an extra few yards had he avoided some contact, but it seems like he really embraces the physical part of the game.
I’ve already mentioned the stand-up guy that Emeka Egbuka is, which is what draws me to him as a prospect the most, but in terms of his ability on the field, I’d say his catch radius is what draws me to him the most. He’s got pretty average measurables for a wide receiver at 6’1, 205 lbs., and 31.5 inch arms, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him play. His ability to not only track down the deep ball (thanks to his background as a baseball outfielder), but also to adjust to the ball with timing and anticipation and go up and get it, really stands out.
Another thing that really stood out about Egbuka’s play on the field at Ohio State was the versatility with which he was used. He was able to play physically on the outside, play with finesse on the inside, and even lined up in the backfield, at times, as a runner. We all know how Arthur Smith loves his screen plays; check out the play above with Egbuka lined up in the slot, and he took a screen pass 68 yards to the house, which ended up being his biggest play of the 2024 season. Admittedly, big plays like this are few and far between in his film, because of the way he was used at Ohio State. With that being said, I wonder if he would’ve spent more time as an outside receiver had it not been for him playing alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith. Either way, he was so consistent and reliable during his time at Ohio State that I can’t imagine a scenario where he wouldn’t be effective playing opposite a guy like George Pickens.
Overall, Egbuka showed a propensity to make things happen in the short, intermediate, and deep passing game, and even made his presence known as a runner. A lot of how he was used at Ohio State could be brought over into the Arthur Smith system, and he could be an efficient starter for us from the JUMP in my humble opinion. Emeka Egbuka is a guy I would be thrilled to see the Steelers select at 21st overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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