With the Atlanta Falcons on bye in Week 5, the team got some much-needed rest following a 2-2 start. The Dirty Birds displayed plenty of inconsistencies throughout the opening month of the 2025 season, but their young offense is a unit that has quickly turned heads across the league.
Meanwhile, Michael Penix Jr. entered the bye week on the heels of an impressive Week 4 performance against the Commanders, but Zac Robinson's offense is still leaving much to be desired. Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts have shined, but aside from Drake London, the Falcons are incredibly thin at wide receiver.
The fanbase has been clamoring for the team to add another wideout, but the team missed out on a budding star in costly fashion. When Atlanta selected Jalon Walker with the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they passed on former Ohio State star Emeka Ebguka, who was selected four picks later at No. 19 by the Bucs—and Week 5 was the latest evidence to suggest he's developing into a bona fide superstar.
The Falcons missed out on the perfect Drake London complement in Emeka Egbuka
In Tampa Bay's 38-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Egbuka shined. The 22-year-old hauled in seven passes for a career-high 163 yards and a touchdown as his connection with Baker Mayfield was once again put on display.
With Mike Evans sidelined, it looks inevitable that the latest Buckeye standout will become the Bucs' long-term WR1. After becoming the first wideout drafted in April, Egbuka has quickly solidified himself as one of the league's biggest draft steals and an Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite and that's all because the Falcons helped him fall into the laps of their NFC South rivals.
And for those who watched the Washington native play in college, they're hardly surprised. Despite playing alongside stars like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jeremiah Smith in Columbus, he logged over 1,000 receiving yards and 10 scores in both 2022 and 2024.
Across five NFL games he's amassed 25 receptions for 534 yards and five touchdowns and is fourth in the league in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdowns. Now they'll have to face him twice per season, and his immediate ascent to stardom should serve as a harsh reminder of what could've been.
However, this is not a knock on Walker. In Week 4, the Georgia product was the Falcons' highest-graded defensive player with a 69.0 PFF grade and 76.7 pass rush grade. He was one of two pass-rushers the team selected in hopes of bolstering a dormant pass rush—which has paid dividends in itself—but adding another weapon to Penix's arsenal would have made this offense even scarier.