Kirk Herbstreit highlights rising draft stock of "forgotten" WR behind Marvin Harrison Jr.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks NFL teams should keep a close eye on the Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Egbuka ended his Ohio State career with 2,868 receiving yards. This is despite frequently playing alongside more high-profile teammates such as Marvin Harrison Jr., who was drafted fourth by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2024 NFL Draft.
On The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Herbstreit said:
"The guy that I'm really excited about is Emeka Egbuka at Ohio State. I think he's Terry McLaurin-type of guy. I wouldn't be surprised to see him potentially go up. ...
"I love the fact that he was just kind of forgotten. I just love the fact it was always about the other receivers. It was about Marvin Harrison Jr. for most of his career. And then it was about, if you saw this freshman, Jeremiah Smith, he might be better than Marvin. Meanwhile, number two just kept going out blocking, making plays."
The 6-foot-1, 202-pound receiver earned All-Big Ten honors multiple times and set the school record with 205 career receptions. In his final season at Ohio State, he led the team with 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns while serving as a team captain for the national champions.
Emeka Egbuka's draft stock is rising silently
Kirk Herbstreit believes Emeka Egbuka's stock will rise once NFL decision-makers spend more time with him during the pre-draft process:
"And I think once the NFL guys have a chance to get around him, really evaluate him, he would be a guy that it would not shock me at all to potentially see him end up sliding and end up going up a lot higher than people think," Herbstreit added during his Pat McAfee Show appearance.
This assessment aligns with feedback from NFL personnel. According to an April 9 report from Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, a Big Ten coach called Egbuka "the most underrated offensive player in the draft right now." That same coach praised his intelligence, saying he's "smart as s--t" and "a straight 'A' student" who would impress in interviews.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Emeka Egbuka as a "fluid athlete with good size and quality ball skills who works primarily from the slot." Zierlein praises his route-running tempo, ability to influence coverage and exceptional ball-tracking skills stemming from his baseball background.
Zierlein projects him as an early starter at slot receiver for teams running heavy amounts of three-wideout sets.
Despite these skills, Egbuka is often ranked behind other receivers in this draft class. B/R's NFL scouting department ranks him as the third-best wide receiver in the 2025 draft behind Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and Texas' Matthew Golden. However, they also list him as the best slot receiver, most pro-ready receiver and best route-runner in the class.