The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the 19th pick of this year’s NFL Draft and he made an instant impact, scoring two touchdowns on his debut.
Veteran receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have been struggling with injury, and now Evans is out for the rest of the season, so 23-year-old Egbuka is set to remain the main outlet for Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.
“Egbuka’s been thrown into the fire a little bit, but everyone at Ohio State said he was a professional wide receiver playing college football,” said Miller.
“As a route runner, he was precise, he was crisp, he was sharp. He was a punt returner so you knew about his toughness and his playmaking ability.
“And getting to know him in the pre-draft process, he was mature. He was a leader at Ohio State, despite never being the number one wide receiver. He never complained, he just showed up and did his job.”
Miller added that rookies like Egbuka and Tyler Warren now come into the NFL better prepared to make the step up.
Warren was the 14th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts, who are leading the way with a 6-1 record, and Warren has more receiving yards than any other tight end (439).
NFL analyst Phoebe Schecter added: “The Colts’ offence has surprised a ton of people, and Warren’s a bit like Brock Bowers [at the Raiders] last year, a tight end coming in, being productive and such a key piece within their offence.”
