Behind the Steel Curtain
BTSC kicks off scouting report season with one of the most popular names in Steelers’ mock drafts.
Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.
One thing everyone can agree on is that the Steelers need some new faces at wide receiver in 2025. Is Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka an ideal first round target for Pittsburgh?
Emeka Egbuka is now Ohio State’s all-time leading receiver, and watching the tape it’s easy to see why. Great hands. Smart player. Efficient, effective route-running. Egbuka has some limitations, but he’s an extremely NFL-ready prospect heading into his rookie season.
Egbuka (No. 2 in all clips) is the definition of a smooth athlete. There isn’t a lot of wasted motion in his routes, and he always puts himself in position to get the ball (in motion on the bottom of the screen).
I’m a fan of the subtle touches on the route below: angling inward off the release before quickly breaking out and turning toward the quarterback. Egbuka is a quarterback-friendly receiver who had a lot of success in the short game as a reliable target (slot on the top of the screen).
He has strong hands and excellent concentration — capable of making catches outside of his frame (top of the screen).
While Egbuka had plenty of success down the field, he won’t wow anyone with his speed. He’s not slow, but he’s certainly not a deep threat. However, the quickness of his release consistently impressed me. Egbuka can get past the first level of the defense in a hurry, which is a real asset when he’s playing inside. I also love how much he flattens the route here to make it an easier throw for his quarterback. Good stuff. (Top of the screen).
He also has a great feel of where to sit in between zones. Again, watch the manipulation of the flat defender right after his release (slot on the top of the screen):
Egbuka’s talents as a blocker might be slightly overhyped, but it’s definitely a strength of his game. He has solid size and good effort most of the time, and he helped spring a number of runs for Ohio State last season (watch the top of the screen here):
(In the slot on the top of the screen here).
Egbuka’s knowledge of the game is easy to see on tape with his savvy route-running, but some of his sideline knowledge was also captured during the National Championship, where he suggested the play that put the dagger in Notre Dame.
One thing to...
