Exclusive: Bucs' Emeka Egbuka on Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Self-Talk
It took one game for Emeka Egbuka to announce himself to Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Egbuka out of Ohio State with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ohio State has developed a reputation as “Wide Receiver U,” which makes it all the more impressive that no one in the history of Buckeyes football has caught more passes than Egbuka. He wasted no time in opening his catch account in the NFL.
The Buccaneers traveled to Atlanta for their 2025 season opener, and Egbuka hauled in four Baker Mayfield passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 59 seconds left.
Mike Evans entered 2025 having just tied Jerry Rice’s NFL record of 11 straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards, and while nobody can replace Evans in Bucs lore, Egbuka emerged as an heir apparent.
Egbuka met the moment when Evans and Chris Godwin missed nine games and eight games, respectively, due to injuries. He banked three 100-yard receiving games and all six of his touchdowns by Week 10. After that, Egbuka’s numbers dipped, and the Bucs went 2-6 down the stretch to finish 8-9.
“We had a lot of team success early on in the season, and then when my production dropped, the whole production of the entire team dropped as well,” Egbuka tells Newsweek over the phone. “As a team, we have to work on keeping our foot on the gas and executing in a better way.”
Egbuka isn’t satisfied with just announcing himself as a rookie. He wants to be a staple for years to come, especially in the wake of Evans’ signing with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency two months ago. Egbuka’s commitment to Tampa Bay extends beyond Raymond James Stadium.
On Tuesday, Egbuka partnered with USAA, the NFL’s official Salute to Service partner, for its Huddle Up for Hurricane Prep event in Tampa Bay. Along with USAA volunteers, Egbuka put together 1,000 American Red Cross “disaster kits” for military families in hurricane-prone communities around Tampa Bay.
In the midst of that, Egbuka found time to chat with Newsweek about bonding with Mayfield, deleting social media apps, reading recommendations, and changing his negative self-talk. Read our conversation below.
Newsweek: You're newish to Florida. What drew you to getting involved with Huddle Up for Hurricane Prep?
Emeka Egbuka: I think just seeing the lasting effects that the last hurricane has had on the community, knowing that this is the community that I’m part of now, definitely struck a chord with me and made me want to get involved. I partnered with USAA before, so this is not a relationship that’s new to me. I had to get involved. It’s for a great cause, especially in this area; it’s something I’m learning is huge.
Growing up in Seattle and then going to school in Ohio, hurricanes were not something I dealt with, but they’re a very real thing here and part of day-to-day life. We’re out here today on the preventive, proactive side of it when it comes to making disaster kits. We’re putting all the essentials in a bag, what you need if disaster strikes. We’re getting everybody stocked up to have everything they need. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
You are widely described as an extremely prepared player. What's your key to remaining disciplined?
It’s been instilled in me my entire life. Growing up, it was something that was required of me if I was going to get everything out of something that I needed to. I’ve been surrounded by a lot of really talented people my whole life, and I needed to get the edge somehow. Becoming really disciplined and prepared is how I sought my edge out, and that stayed with me throughout college and into the NFL.
Brian Hartline,your former wide receivers coach at Ohio State, once said of you to FOX Sports, "He wants to know the ‘why,’ not always the ‘how.’" Do you have an example to illustrate that mentality?
I think just having a whole understanding of certain situations you’re given can put your heart into it more. The more you know about it, the easier it is to execute what’s asked of you. It was described to me last year by our previous [offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard] that I approach the game like a quarterback would. I definitely take that to heart because I think understanding not only what I’m doing on a given play, but also what everybody else is doing, helps me see the whole picture and gain a deeper understanding of what’s being asked of me.
You may think like a quarterback, but Baker Mayfield is your quarterback. When did you know that you and Baker would get along?
Since the day after I got drafted. He was the first person that I talked to from the Bucs. He was so warm and welcoming, not just to me but to my entire family. We hit it off right away, and he’s someone I’ve spent a lot of time with since living in Tampa. Whether that’s going to his house on the off day or whatever the case may be, he’s been in my corner from the jump. He’s just been such a blessing to me and my family.
Are you actually responsible for Baker naming his newborn son Maverick, or was that a coincidence?
I think it’s gotten blown a little out of proportion. I think the name that I gave in that video was already on the short list, and they just ended up going with it in the end. The more accurate description is that I guessed correctly, but it’s still really cool nonetheless.
You wore No. 2 at Ohio State, and now you wear it in the NFL. Does that number hold any significance to you?
It goes by the definition of “I am second.” Everyone knows I’m very forward with my faith in Jesus and all that he’s done in my life, and that’s the meaning behind my number. I’m second in everything I do, and I put God first. Obviously, it’s a cliche that comes from a lot of athletes, but I think it can be a different message when you actually live it, so I try to play the game in a way that would be honoring to the Lord. That shows itself in being prepared, disciplined, selfless when it comes to my teammates, and playing the game hard. Those are the values that I stick to in football.
What's the most overrated part of being in the NFL?
I actually would say the publicity and the fame. Maybe some guys would disagree. The best part about that is having the platform to impact tons of people, but when it comes to my personality type, I’m a very lowkey person who is more quiet.
What's the most underrated part of being in the NFL?
The NFL’s vetted benefits. I don’t think a lot of people know about that, but they’ve got a pretty good program going on over here.
Is it true you don't have any social media apps on your phone?
That is true.
What is your most-used app then?
Maybe my Photos app, or chess. I play a lot of chess on my phone.
I feel like most prolific people have a chess habit.
Yeah, I’ve been playing a lot of chess recently. That’s something I picked up in the NFL, though, because they be playing it in the locker room. I was just watching. I obviously knew the rules of chess, but I didn’t play it like that, and then dudes were playing for big money in the locker room. I’m not one to gamble. I never play for money. Everyone on the team knows that about me, but I definitely like to throw my hat in the ring when it comes to anything having to do with competition. We definitely get after it on the chessboard.
How has eliminating your social media habit changed your days?
For me, I was just spending a lot of time on it. Dwelling in and meditating on things that shouldn’t have all of my mindspace. There’s a lot of noise on social media, so I just felt less fog in my head. I felt more productive throughout my days. It’s kind of like once it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. It’s not something I constantly think about. I don’t itch to get on Instagram or Snapchat or X. It’s not something I actually desire to do, and I think I’m going to stick with it for the rest of my life.
Obviously, I have a big platform to influence and reach out to people on Instagram, so it’s not going to go completely unused, but I don’t think it needs to be part of my day-to-day life.
Why do you love Brandon Sanderson novels?
I’m a big reader. My goal is to read 50 books this year, and I’m at 20, so I’m on track. I had to get a lot of it out of the way during the offseason. I’ve always been a big reader my entire life. I think I’m someone who has a big imagination and is very creative, and I’ve always been really drawn to fantasy and fiction since I was little. I would literally go over to my best friend’s house, and we would read side by side. That has stuck with me my entire life, and I think Brandon Sanderson does a really good job of world-building and creating an immersive world within his books.
Give me a quick book rec.
What do you like?
Oh, I’m open.
I could give you a couple. Well, the movie just came out, “Project Hail Mary,” and the book is really good. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. That’s about a man and his son in a post-apocalyptic world, trying to survive together. And then, anything by Brandon Sanderson.
Mike Evans has departed for San Francisco. What did you learn from Mike in your one season together?
Mike taught me a lot in the way he lives life and plays the game. We had a lot of real conversations as well, and he always pumped a lot of confidence into me and my ability to be able to execute on the field.
Watching him and his mentality, his approach to the game, his sense of confidence in his ability, it just permeated throughout the team, and me especially, as a rookie and impressionable rookie. He taught me a lot of unspoken things that are going to continue to carry me throughout the rest of my NFL career, so I’m very grateful to him. I’m happy that he found a new home in San Francisco, and I think he’s gonna do great things out there.
The rest of us can say whatever we want about your rookie season, but all that matters is what you say about it. What was your primary takeaway?
I’m someone who has always struggled with negative self-talk and dwelling on the negative. That’s been prominent in my life since I started playing sports in elementary school, but it’s also something I’ve been working on. I think it’s one of the worst habits you can have - constantly critiquing yourself and negative self-talk. I think there were a lot of positives from my rookie year, but there’s also a lot of improvement points, not necessarily negative points.
What are you most fixated on improving this offseason?
My blocking technique and running with the ball after the catch. Last year, there was that little bit of, Whoa, I’m still a rookie. But I think I’m very dynamic with the ball in my hands and want to be able to make more plays.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 9:18 AM.