Before their match against Indiana tomorrow, Ryan Day has been expressing a great deal of fear and discomfort. He was taken aback when…
Star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka of the Ohio State Buckeyes suffered a lower-body injury during the second half of their game against the Maryland Terrapins in Week 6. What’s new regarding the status of the 2024 NFL Draft prospect before the team plays Penn State in Week 8?
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Updates on Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s injury and the 2024 NFL Draft Potential
Egbuka missed the team’s victory over Purdue in Week 7 after leaving the Week 6 match against Maryland due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. Egbuka is currently marked as dubious.
Prior to the team’s matchup with conference rival Penn State in the top-10, it is unknown exactly what Egbuka’s condition is. Additionally, Ryan Day, the head coach of the Buckeyes, hesitated to give a precise update on Egbuka’s level of preparation at his most recent opportunity.
Regarding Egbuka and other injured Buckeyes players, Day told the media on Tuesday, saying, “I’m not gonna get into all those guys, but hopeful that we’ll have all those guys back for Saturday.”
Not just Egbuka is an offensive star that the Buckeyes should be wary of going into their crucial game against the Nittany Lions. The status of running back Tre’Veyon Henderson is also unknown. However, Egbuka’s absence would be especially detrimental when facing Penn State’s Daequan Hardy, Johnny Dixon, and Kalen King in the secondary.
Marvin Harrison Jr., the team’s best receiver, will be available for the Buckeyes, but beyond him, they lack depth.
Egbuka is still trying to live up to his NFL Draft stock in 2024.
Egbuka was ranked by PFN as a potential top-10 2024 NFL Draft prospect at the beginning of the season, and he is still a first-round talent. However, his output hasn’t quite reached the level of dominance that many had anticipated thus far.
So far this season, Egbuka has caught 22 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns in five games. He’s mostly served as Harrison Jr.’s supplementary threat when healthy, but he’s also shown himself as a reliable weapon in crunch time, like the Notre Dame game.
Egbuka, a wide receiver who stands 6’1″ and weighs 205 pounds, has a very alluring three-level threat structure. With his explosiveness and balance, he is a valuable RAC threat. He is also a stoic catch-point operator with strong and smooth hands, and a nuanced separator with sharp movement skills.
