After a down year due to injury as a junior at Ohio State in 2023, Emeka Egbuka bounced back in the biggest way as a senior in 2024. He nearly doubled his receptions (41 to 81), yards (515 to 1,011), and TD numbers (4 to 10) from that previous year, which has set him on a path to the NFL Draft. The only question is, which day will he be drafted? Day 1, as a 1st-round pick? Or Day 2, as a 2nd- or 3rd-rounder?
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The 6’1″, 205-pound wideout is considered a top WR prospect, but not the top WR prospect. That means there is room for him to raise his draft stock. But how can he do that? Well, while all the other top prospects are foregoing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, he could participate and blow scouts away.
Right now, Egbuka is ranked behind Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan (a pristine prospect) and Luther Burden III among WRs. Field Yates said that the Combine might actually be more important for Burden, who’s evident loss of burst and explosion from 2023 to 2024 was worrisome. His 40-yard dash time will be crucially important, but the same is true for Egbuka, according to Mel Kiper Jr.
“Versatility, professionalism, route-running, consistency, blocking, doing the dirty work… He had a concentration drop here and there, that was it! He was money! Money. There’s word that he could run in the 4.4 range. Or he has and he will and he can.
“If he runs in that 4.4-4.5 range, Emeka Egbuka is going in the 1st round, and maybe in the middle of the 1st round… The 40-time, critical, but he played like a 1st-rounder,” Kiper Jr. said on NFL on ESPN.
Kiper also believes that there is a perfect fit for Egbuka right there in that mid-to-late 1st round range: the Pittsburgh Steelers. They currently hold the 21st overall pick in the draft, and they are in dire need of either a receiver to pair with mercurial star George Pickens, or someone to replace him if they decide to move on.
“They have had diva receivers. They’ve always had that. This guy is the opposite of that. He is the ultimate professional. All business. Experienced. You can count on him. First one in, last one out. Who’s a great leader, who sets the tone, who does everybody go to for knowledge and information? Emeka Egbuka is that guy.”
Since 1974, the Steelers have taken just six WRs in the 1st round. Lynn Swann (Hall of Famer), Louis Lipps (2-time 1st-Team All-Pro), Charles Johnson, Troy Edwards, Plaxico Burress (four 1,000+ yard seasons), and Santonio Holmes (Super Bowl 43 MVP). They don’t do it often, but when they do, they have a pretty darn good track record. And that’s without even discussing their success drafting wideouts on Day 2.
Whether it’s the Steelers or someone else, if Emeka Egbuka runs anything under 4.50 in the 40-yard dash, he can lock himself in as a 1st-round pick. That’s important from a pride standpoint, but also financially. First-round picks receive far more lucrative contracts than the rest of the rookies.
Prior to the Combine, all major sites still rank Egbuka behind McMillan and Burden. Travis Hunter sits above them all, of course, but he’s not a true WR prospect.
ESPN, The Athletic, PFF, and many more all rank Emeka Egbuka inside the top 30 on their big boards. That means he’s got a great shot of hearing his name called by Roger Goodell on April 24 even before running the 40.
