Week 1 of the NFL season is usually filled with anomalies and outliers. Nobody knows anything.
However, what Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Emeka Egbuka did in his debut was anything but an accident.
Egbuka looked like a seasoned pro, not a rookie making his debutCredit: Getty
The Buccaneers pulled out a season-opening victory in Atlanta against the Falcons, walking away with a 23-20 win, in large part due to Egbuka’s efforts.
The rookie caught 4 passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 25-yard score from quarterback Baker Mayfield to put the Bucs up for good.
The franchise quarterback was very impressed by what he saw out of the wide receiver’s first NFL game.
“He’s so good. He really is,” Mayfield said on the Bucs Player’ Table.
“All the natural things that you try and get receivers to do, it just comes easy to him. You combine that with how intelligent he is, his football IQ, it’s a dangerous combo that he’s got working for him.The lights will never be too bright for him.”
The 22-year-old became just the 18th player in NFL history to catch two touchdowns in his first career game.
Outside of what Minnesota Vikings J.J. McCarthy did, Egbuka may have had the most impressive rookie debut out of anyone.
Not only did Egbuka receive praise from his quarterback, but the fantasy football community was applauding him for his historic efforts as well.
The rookie WR posted 19.6 fantasy points, the third highest of any wideout, behind only Zay Flowers and Quentin Johnston.
“Egbuka to the moon,” one fan posted on Reddit.
The duo of Egbuka and Mike Evans could soon quickly become one of the bestCredit: Getty
“He’ll be in my lineup next week for rest of the season,” another added.
“This dude is so good. I can’t believe he fell to the Bucs. Should have been a top 12-15,” one more chimed in.
Tampa Bay drafted Egbuka with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was the second wide receiver taken off the board behind Tetairoa McMillan.
Egbuka was seen as one of the safest prospects coming out of the draft due to his skillset and maturity he displayed over the course of his career at Ohio State.
During his four years as a Buckeye, Egbuka recorded two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and totaled 205 receptions for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns.
He has now hit the ground running at the next level, and looks to be even more dangerous as he and Mayfield work on their chemistry.
Not to mention Egbuka gets to line up next to a future Hall of Famer in Mike Evans. Oh yeah, Chris Godwin will make his return soon as well.
Tampa Bay is a sneaky Super Bowl contender, and in a few weeks’ time may not be flying under anyone’s radar, especially if they keep stacking the wins.
They travel to NRG Stadium to face the Houston Texans in Week 2 on Monday Night Football, before their home debut when they welcome in the new-look Jets in Week 3.
It will be a bit of a revenge game for Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles, who led the Jets from 2015–18 before being fired.
Bowles has been the head man in Tampa since 2022 to much success, having won the division every year since taking over.
Now with Egbuka in the mix, the Bucs’ ceiling just got a little higher. And that may be just enough to come out of the NFC and head to Santa Clara come February.
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