For the most part, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a safe and sound 2025 NFL Draft. That’s not to say the players drafted don’t have the potential to develop into NFL stars, because they certainly do. But generally speaking, the Bucs 2025 draft class consists mostly of prospects who are considered to have relatively high floors as well, meaning they can be expected to contribute early in their NFL careers — which isn’t always the case.
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However, immediately following the conclusion of the draft, just like all teams, the Bucs were busy working the phones trying to come to agreements with a wide ranging pool of undrafted free agents. This was Tampa Bay’s opportunity to take a little more risk on players who may have a lower floor but tremendously high ceilings based on traits, raw ability, or lack of experience. Well, that’s exactly what Jason Licht and his staff did when they signed Georgia State OT Ben Chukwuma.
Not only did the Bucs take a chance on a player with only two years of experience playing football when they signed Chukwuma, but they gave him the most guaranteed money of any UDFA in the entire league this year.
Two years ago, he had never played in a football game at any level. Now he’s on an NFL roster. Meet Bucs rookie tackle Ben Chukwuma, a @GeorgiaStateFB walk-on originally from Nigeria who just got $300k guaranteed from Tampa Bay. @NFLonFOX https://t.co/dZqDDgmWlj
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 28, 2025
Chukwuma has an incredibly interesting backstory, which Greg Auman detailed in his article for FOX Sports. One of the most unique elements of Chukwuma’s backstory is the fact that he just started playing football a couple years ago. Chukwuma is Nigerian, and he moved to Georgia when he was 17 years old. Just a few years later, he attended an open tryout at Georgia State where the coaches quickly made the wise decision to add him to their roster.
Since then, Ben Chukwuma has made incredible strides, both mentally and physically. According to Auman, the towering Chukwuma has added 70 pounds to his frame since that tryout, and he is now listed at 6’6″, 310 pounds. Not only that, but in the two years that have passed since Chukwuma first stepped onto a football field at Georgia State, he’s had to not only learn the basic rules of the sport, but the intricacies of playing offensive tackle at an extremely high level.
🏈 GSU Pro Day – Ben Chukwuma#LightItBlue | #NewAtlanta pic.twitter.com/dujLGQjD7u
— GSU Football (@GeorgiaStateFB) March 12, 2025
Despite his limited experience, it’s obvious that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers see a ton of potential in Ben Chukwuma. His size, physical traits, and character must have checked off a lot of boxes for the Bucs’ team of evaluators for the team to be willing to offer such a significant amount of guaranteed money.
It will be fascinating to monitor Ben Chukwuma’s development as an NFL player. The Bucs have an exceptional track record when it comes to not only identifying, but developing OL talent. And based on how much he as accomplished on the football field in just a couple of years, not to mention the amount of money the Bucs gave him as an UDFA, it seems like Ben Chukwuma is a prospect worth betting on.
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