Mel Kiper Jr. reveals what NFL teams love about Emeka Egbuka

With the 2025 NFL Draft fast approach, mock drafts are flying and the takes are pouring in ahead of this year’s NFL Combine. Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka is receiving renewed interest in many first-round discussions.

Why? Well, quite simply, he offers just about everything an NFL team could want.

“Versatility, professionalism, route-running, consistency, blocking, doing the dirty work, doing all the things a lot of guys don’t want to do and frankly don’t do, he does,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on First Draft.

Emeka Egbuka has also done a nice job producing over a long enough span in college. There’s little doubt he can play against high-level competition.

“The production. Remember in 2023 he had that ankle injury, that’s why his numbers went down from 74 catches to 41,” Kiper pointed out. “Average per catch down from around 15.6 down to, what, 12.6.

“Bottom line is this year he bounced back. Eighty-one catches. He was the key guy. Ten touchdown receptions. He had a concentration drop here and there, that was it. He was money, money. And 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 4.45 range, Emeka Egbuka is going in the first round and maybe in the middle of the first round.”

During his four-year career with the Buckeyes, Emeka Egbuka logged 205 catches for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns.

That’ll put him firmly on some NFL radars.

But what team might be a good fit? Kiper had a specific franchise in mind for the 6-foot-1, 205-pound target.

“The great fit for him if you say great fit: Pittsburgh Steelers,” Kiper said. “They have had diva receivers. They’ve always had that. This guy is the opposite of that. He is the ultimate professional, all business, experience, you can count on him. He’s all about quarterbacks, first one in, last one out, who is the great leader? Who sets the tone? Who does everybody go to for knowledge and information and everything you need to be a great football player? Emeka Egbuka is that guy.”

That’s enough to make him the ideal fit for the Steelers, Kiper said.

“So for me, when you’re Pittsburgh and that’s what you need, regardless of who the quarterback is, you better get some weapons for that quarterback, I’m hoping it’s Justin Fields, we’ll see how that goes, bottom line is Emeka Egbuka right now, the 40 time critical, but he played like a first rounder,” Kiper said.