Well, even though the Ohio State Buckeyes came home with a win against Notre Dame, their wide receiver Emeka Egbuka got unlucky. After all, he was the first Buckeyes player to fumble the ball in nearly three months. But he gifted Ryan Day a sweet ending. He finished the game with six catches for 64 yards and in the process became Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions with 205. With this, he made the head coach his biggest fan. But turns out his impact has reached far and beyond Columbus.
Now Egbuka has his biggest supporter not from Ohio State, but from Boulder. She is none other than the Colorado Buffaloes graduate assistant Warren Sapp’s daughter, Mercedes. Sadly, the opening day for the 2025 NFL Draft has been too much to take for the 27-year-old who is Egbuka’s biggest cheerleader. The chaos that unfolded led Mereces to vent out to her dad.
Emeka Egbuka’s draft day drama leaves Mercedes Sapp on ‘don’t disturb’ mode
Forget discussing the new Sephora launch or planning the next girls’ date to a pretty cafe. Mercedes is now so obsessed with Egbuka that her conversations with her besties have the ex-Ohio State receiver as the hot topic. On April 24, she posted a screenshot of a chat she had with someone named “baby chaos coordinator .” The caption read, “ when two girls LOVE football.” With the Draft Day ringing the bells, Mercedes could no longer keep calm. As soon as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers added Egbuka as their No.19 pick, she did not waste any time welcoming her favorite star to Tampa Bay. Sapp’s daughter wrote, “prepare to be SICK of me .” Then what made Mercedes upset, that the daddy’s girl went to his favorite person to vent out?
Right after Todd Bowles landed Egbuka, Mercedes posted a screenshot of the chat she had with her bestie. The conversation went like this, Sapp’s daughter wrote, “Lmao. Vegas? Whatcha think.” The reply came, “i’m thinking vegas.” Post which Mercedes’ frustration picked up. She wrote in caps, “THEY TRADED THE PICK TO THE HOUSTON TEXANS W- – – – -.” The Las Vegas Raiders had their No.6 with multiple options in hand, including Egbuka, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. But they finally sealed the deal with Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. This was the first blow for Mercedes as her favorite got snubbed. Then came the Houston Texans with their Mission Egbuka. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, during his interview on The Dan Patrick Show, he thought the Texans tried to trade up for.
That’s because the Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud shares a strong bond with Egbuka from their time in Columbus. But the Bucs threw cold water on their plans. That’s what “irritated” Mercedes. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Egbuka falling to No.26 pick. She wrote, “They went down to pick 26 LIKE HUH.” Followed by how she is coping with the blow. She wrote, “I texted my Dad Like w- – is happening.” So, it’s official that Mercedes is not at all happy with Egbuka’s NFL fate, what about others?
How Emeka Egbuka could be the key to Tampa’s balanced attack
The building is thrilled over the selection, describing the first-round pick as ‘our type of guy.’ The Bucs had a top-five offense in 2024 and just added another dimension to their aerial attack. As former Indianapolis punter and now analyst Pat McAfee shared his take. On April 25, he tweeted, “EMEKA EGBUKA TO THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS They add ANOTHER WEAPON for Baker Mayfield.” What makes McAfee count on the ex-Ohio State wide receiver as Baker Mayfield’s shield? Egbuka is a smooth athlete with effortless body control. This allows him to work in and out of breaks and re-adjust on the fly.
Tampa Bay finished the 2024 season 10-7 and NFC South Champs. The Buccaneers hosted the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card round but lost 23-20. Now, Egbuka might flip their luck as he will be joining longtime wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Yes, it’s definitely a crowded room. But that’s not new for the newest Buccaneer. Sleeper NFL tweeted, “Emeka Egbuka is a great blocker for Bucky Irving Great Pick .”
The former Ohio State receiver will give the Bucs a four-receiver set that will create one-on-one opportunities they can win. He also might help spread the field and create more space for running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. The Buccaneers’ selection of Emeka Egbuka, seemingly, lets Jason Licht breathe easy. As it pertains to his offense’s ability to pass the football. Looks like Mercedes can finally exhale—her favorite star has landed right where he belongs.
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