The 2023 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Jaxon Smith-Njigba 2023 NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Ohio State
Size: 6-foot, 197 Pounds
Class: Junior
2022 stats: 5 receptions, 43 receiving yards, 8.6 yards per catch, 0 touchdowns (Hamstring Injury)
Smith-Njigba had a great 2021 season, but struggled to see the field with a hamstring injury in 2022. Despite that, he has entered the 2023 NFL Draft.
He was a five-star recruit out of high school, who chose to join the talented receiver room at Ohio State. In his freshman season, Smith-Njigba played sparingly, notching 10 receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown. His role greatly increased in 2021, as he hauled in 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns. Smith-Njigba’s play helped the Buckeyes win the Rose Bowl. He only played in five games during the 2022 season due to a hamstring injury. That is why he only registered five catches for 43 yards.
His hamstrings were still ailing him, which caused him to miss the College Football Playoff and declare for the NFL Draft. He is a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Smith-Njigba is one of the best route-runners in the class. He understands leverage, timing and how to find the soft spot against zone coverage. His ability to release at the line of scrimmage well and get in and out of his breaks well help him create separation. He has a very expanded route-tree and shows his intelligence in how he comes back to the football on broken plays. Put simply, Smith-Njigba knows how to get open.
His hands are reliable under normal circumstances. He was no stranger to going over the middle and making contested catches, but he can make the easy ones too. Smith-Njigba has also shown he can make acrobatic catches when he needs to, making him very quarterback friendly.
Once the ball is in his hands, Smith-Njigba is a real threat. He runs after the catch well with solid speed and vision. Smith-Njigba can make defenders miss and is a threat to take short throws all the way to the end zone for big plays.
The first thing that evaluators will look into is his hamstring injury. He did not play well when he was on the field in 2022 and they will need to know if he is fully healthy. The injury limited Smith-Njigba’s career to just one season of production, which will raise some questions not just about his health, but if his production was sustainable.
Smith-Njigba mostly lined up in the slot during his college career. That makes his fit limited in the NFL. He has the size necessary to play on the outside, but has never had the opportunity to prove it on a consistent basis. Not only will it make his fit in the NFL limited, it may also limit his draft stock, as teams don’t usually take slot receivers in the first round.
In college, Smith-Njigba didn’t face a lot of press coverage because he was lining up in the slot. Teams can challenge him with physical bump and run coverage and make him prove that he can beat it. He has solid releases so he could do well against press, but it is another skill that is not overtly proven.
Projected Draft Range: First Round Pick-Second Round Pick
Draft Grade: First-Round Pick
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