It’s Mock Draft Monday! The New Orleans Saints picked another big-time Ohio State wide receiver in this projection from Curt Popejoy over at Draft Wire. Emeka Egbuka could follow Michael Thomas and Chris Olave to the black and gold.
The Saints made Egbuka the third or fourth wide receiver to go off the board (depending on whether you see Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter staying at wideout or cornerback) by picking him at No. 11 overall. This time he fell behind other pass-catchers like Missouri’s Luther Burden III and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan.
So what makes Egbuka so special? He’s only appeared in 33 games with the Buckeyes but he’s already caught 124 passes for 1,857 yards with 14 touchdown receptions before his senior year. He ranks top-20 in both catches and receiving yards and is tied for 23rd in touchdowns. He’s also ran the ball 16 times for another 112 rushing yards, with two scores on the ground.
He doesn’t have a huge frame at a listed 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, but Egbuka is a special player, and the Saints would be lucky to land him — even if they may have bigger fish to fry while picking at No. 11. A draft slot that high in priority would mean Derek Carr was a big bust in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and they might need to take a hard look at the quarterbacks available in next year’s class. Even if Spencer Rattler has earned a fan in Olave.
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