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Emeka Egbuka seeks comfort in knowing the intimate details and nuances of his position. It’s what makes him one of the top receivers in this year’s draft, according to Ohio State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline.
“He’s very cerebral, so there’s a lot more depth to those conversations,” Hartline told FOX Sports. “He wants to know the ‘why,’ not always the ‘how.’ But he always gave you great effort. He wanted to do things in a perfect manner. And if it wasn’t done in that manner, he wasn’t satisfied.”
Egbuka’s pursuit of perfection led to him becoming the all-time leader in receptions (205) at Ohio State, one of the top producers of NFL receiver talent. You know the names: Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr.
A chance to follow and even compete with some of those elite athletes is what led Egbuka to choose the Buckeyes as the 2019 Washington Gatorade Player of the Year out of Steilacoom High School.
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“I’m my own hardest critic,” Egbuka said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. “A reason I excelled at Ohio State was because Coach Hartline and I shared a similar mindset. We’re perfectionists to the nth degree.
“Every time I watch film, I never tell myself ‘Good job’ in my head. I’m always critiquing myself. Whether it’s run blocking, route running, my splits before the play, it’s all game for me. It’s all an art. I love the art of being a receiver.”
Will Howard hits Emeka Egbuka on a gorgeous 11-yard TD vs. Indiana
Greg Herd first noticed that attention to detail in Egbuka at a young age. A former receiver at Eastern Washington who spent some time in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Herd served as Egbuka’s receivers coach and offensive coordinator at Steilacoom. They first met when Egbuka was an eager middle schooler thirsting for knowledge of how to get better at his craft.
“He was working with the high school group as a seventh grader, and I thought, ‘Oh this kid’s kind of good,'” Herd told FOX Sports. “And then when I found out he was a seventh grader, I was like, ‘Holy crap, this kid’s special.’
“Once he does something once, it’s ingrained in his head. He has that high of an IQ as a football player.”
Herd recently spent time with Egbuka in Arizona, where he’s preparing for the draft at the Exos training facility. They even played a couple rounds of golf together. Egbuka, who was also a talented baseball player in high school, took up golf in college and already is a single handicap.
“The first round we played, his clubs hadn’t come in yet, so he had to use rentals,” Herd said. “And he said, ‘I’m better with my clubs.’ Look, I golf. I’m the same with any clubs. But his clubs came in the next day, and I think he shot like 1-over on the front nine. It was a world of difference. He can swing it. He’s one of those kids that anything he picks up, he’s going to be good at it.”
FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang has Egbuka as his top-ranked receiver and No. 16 overall on his final big board.
“He’s safer than a Subaru, with superb quickness, balance and core strength to win out of the slot as well as strong, reliable hands,” Rang said.
FOX Sports NFL analyst Bucky Brooks ranks Egbuka as the No. 4 receiver in this year’s draft, behind Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Egbuka as his No. 2 receiver behind Golden, who ran a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.
Egbuka said he met formally with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Las Vegas Raiders at the combine. He also had pre-draft visits with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Along with those four teams, the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks could make sense as potential landing spots for Egbuka.
“He’s very much like Smith-Njigba,” said one longtime NFL scout. “He’s smooth. Not a blazer, but that works in the NFL with his catching and separation.”
The 6-foot-1, 202-pound Egbuka ran a respectable 4.48 40 at his pro day, which included an eye-catching 1.50-second 10-yard split. Along with his polished route-running skills and sticky hands, his ability as a willing blocker in the running game stands out for the next level.
“He’s more than fast enough,” Hartline told FOX Sports. “The athletic ability, in my opinion, should be a check the box. He’s big enough and strong enough. Hands? Check. Quickness? Check. Routes? Check.”
Hartline says that whoever selects Egbuka will be getting a plug-and-play, complete receiver ready to contribute once he hits the field.
“He can play any spot you need him in,” Hartline said. “Whatever you need to execute and get done job-description-wise, he can do that for you. Blocking, routes — there’s nothing Emeka can’t really get done when asked to on game day.
“But it’s more about what’s between the ears, the approach and the mental makeup of the athlete that ultimately dictates their success. … You’ve got to have enough tools, but the tools don’t always get the job done. Emeka definitely embodies the cerebral athlete in the game, and that’s why he’s going to be extremely successful.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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