With an already stocked Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver room, few expected general manager Jason Licht to draft a first-round wideout this spring. Yet the Super Bowl-winning GM stuck to his board, selecting the highest remaining player, wideout Emeka Egbuka, at No. 19 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Even Mike Evans was surprised by the selection.
“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,” Evans said on Thursday. “So, looking forward to a great year for him, Emeka.”
Evans, who has generated at least 1,000 yards in every single one of his 11 pro seasons, has been impressed by the rookie receiver when he gets the ball in his hands during offseason workouts and minicamp.
“He looks like a running back, but I mean, he catches like Chris Godwin,” Evans said of Egbuka. “He’s a very polished, very well-rounded player.”
The Bucs have talent in the receiver room coming out of the ears. Evans is a six-time Pro Bowler who can still petrify corners. When healthy, Godwin is a YAC merchant. Jalen McMillan flashed vertical potential last season, coming on strong down the stretch. The additions of Egbuka and seventh-rounder Tez Johnson give Tampa more wideouts than it can even get on the field at once.
“I know I say it a lot, but this might be the best receiving room I’ve been a part of,” Evans said. “I say that every year, but we always get great players to come in, so that’s been very fortunate for me in my career to be around great young players. And they’ve added to the room tremendously. They’re already very polished. Emeka’s really strong hands, super smart, Tez is speed, quickness.”
Evans added that the youth injected into the lineup helps keep him motivated 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,” he said.
If Godwin, who underwent ankle surgery last year, is healthy for training camp and the regular-season opener, it will be interesting to see how the Bucs rotate their receivers. Whether the youngsters will have specific packages or whether the elder statesmen, like Evans, could get a few more reps off each game to stay fresh for the entire season.