"Their WR room is bleak" - NFL analyst makes case for NFC North franchise to draft Emeka Egbuka
Emeka Egbuka played his entire collegiate campaign with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Last season, he helped Ryan Day's team win the national championship, registering 1,011 yards and 10 receiving TDs along the way. The wide receiver then decided to declare for the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. Several analysts and draft experts consider Egbuka a top-tier WR talent.
Egbuka's draft projection has been a hot topic of discussion over the past few days. According to PFF analyst Trevor Sikkema, the Green Bay Packers could look to draft a wide receiver with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round. He believes that the franchise has a weak receiver corps for quarterback Jordan Love to utilize.
If the Packers draft Emeka Egbuka, then Love could benefit on the offense from having an athletic and agile prospect like the Ohio State wide receiver.
"I'm up with the Green Bay Packers at No. 23. Packers could go pass rusher. I'm gonna take Emeka Egbuka here. I think their wide receiver room, it's bleak man," Sikkema said. "I mean, if you're looking at their wide receiver room and hoping that it's going to be any better than even it was last year when it was disappointing, I just don't know what to tell you.
"I don't care that, oh, he [Egbuka] is not as big as Green Bay Packers wide receivers are. He's not as fast as they normally are. I don't even know if he hits the Brian Gutekunst threshold. I don't care. He's the best wide receiver there. He'd be the best wide receiver on this team. I'm taking Emeka Egbuka," he added.
Last week, the Ohio State wide receiver went on a pre-draft visit with the Packers. Apart from him, they also hosted Texas Longhorns WR Matthew Golden. However, the last time the Packers used a first-round pick to draft a wide receiver was back in 2002. Thus, it will be interesting to see if they decide to pick one later this month.
Mel Kiper projects Emeka Egbuka to be drafted in second round by Jacksonville Jaguars
In his last week's mock draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper had Matthew Golden as the first wide receiver off the board in the first round. When it came to the Ohio State star, he had Egbuka as a second-round prospect.
Kiper said Egbuka's draft stock has been declining over the past few days. He linked him with the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 36 pick.
"Three or fewer wide receivers have gone in Round 1 just three times in the past 10 drafts. But the Jaguars would stand to seriously benefit if things go this way. Egbuka – my No. 18 prospect – is a smooth route runner and caught 10 touchdowns last season," Kiper wrote via ESPN.com.
"Brian Thomas Jr. was terrific as a rookie, and taking Egbuka here would help make up for the loss of Christian Kirk and give Jacksonville a pair of young talented pass catches to build the offense around," he added.
Apart from the Jaguars, Egbuka has been linked with teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills, to name a few. It will be interesting to see if he goes a first-round prospect or slips down as a second-round pick.