The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the more shocking selections of the first round in the NFL Draft. Instead of addressing the defense with their top selection, they drafted Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. The move was surprising, given the state of the Buccaneers' wide receiver room already entering the NFL Draft.
But Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht provided a reasoning behind their selection.
During an appearance on WDAE on Tuesday, Licht said that drafting Egbuka helps the Buccaneers do one thing, and that's allow veteran receiver Chris Godwin to not rush back from dislocated ankle suffered in Week 7 last season. Licht stresses that the selection has nothing to do with Godwin's recovery timeline.
"[Egbuka] does allow us to make sure that Chris does do his rehab correctly and we , and all those things,” Licht said, h/t JoeBucsFan.com. “So that does give us a little comfort with the pick — that we can do that, to make sure that’s he’s not rushed back. But [Egbuka] had nothing to do with where Chris is currently in the rehab.
“We’re still crossing our fingers that he’s ready to go for Week 1 but, you know, if it takes a little bit longer, then that’s fine, too. We signed Chris to a three-year deal; actually, three years in the NFL is long-term. So we’re looking long-term with Chris, as well.”
Jason Licht says Buccaneers drafting Emeka Egbuka helps Chris Godwin take time in recovery from ankle injury
This is a good luxury to have if you are the Buccaneers. There's no need to rush back a player of Godwin's stature, considering how important he is to the offense.
Before suffering the dislocated ankle, Godwin had caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns in just seven games played. One has to wonder if he would have made it three consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards.
Even with the injury, the Buccaneers and Godwin didn't want to part ways after his walk year. So, the two sides agreed to terms on a three-year, $66 million contract.
The Buccaneers will obviously have Mike Evans as the main option for quarterback Baker Mayfield in the passing offense. Evans is coming off a 74-reception, 1,004 receiving yards season. Behind Evans on the depth chart are Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard.
With Egbuka, the Buccaneers are getting one of the best route-runners in college. This past season with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Egbuka caught 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games played. Overall, Egbuka recorded 205 receptions for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons.
Adding Egbuka makes Tampa Bay's offense much more dangerous. Plus, it allows the Buccaneers to not rush Godwin back onto the field.