Wide Receiver – Ohio State

6’0 198 lbs

Strengths

Smith-Njigba has the kind of hands you can count on. He plucks the ball out of the air with ease without relying on wrangling it into his body. His route running is polished. The kind of polish that we’ll see plenty of rehab videos no later than March, highlighting his lateral agility. Going against defenders is where his routes get even more shine. He leverages well, reading his defender, to create maximum separation on the route. Also, he tracks the ball in the air beautifully with the ability to time his jump to highpoint the ball. On top of that, he looks good after the catch and has the acceleration to limit angles for defenders. Finally, he has kick/punt return experience that this has translated to as well. 

Weaknesses

One weakness for Smith-Njigba is that he hasn’t put enough film out against press coverage to know which gives him the most issues. His injury length does add concerns of either a lengthy injury or if it was self-protection, knowing his draft stock was already at a high. The former would be an actual issue, the latter would just be a narrative that won’t matter once a team is on the clock. Furthermore, he shows good speed but not necessarily the kind you can use to take the tops off in a straight line. 

NFL Fit and Draft Capital

The last long look we saw of Smith-Njigba, he was destroying a cornerback who was actually a converted running back from earlier that week. He ended up with 15 receptions, 347 yards, and three touchdowns. The problem is that the last long look was January 1st, 2022. His hamstring injury hampered essentially his entire junior season. Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and Jameson Williams are all recent examples of receivers who missed most or all of the season due to injury. All of these players were taken in the top 12 of the past two drafts. This being said, a hamstring shouldn’t linger long enough for  Smith-Njigba to not work out at the combine or pro day.

With a healthy workout, I see Smith-Njigba being the top receiver off of the board and a top 20 NFL Draft selection at worst, with still I believe a decent chance of going in the top 10. He can play in the slot or the Y-receiver position in the NFL. He also was arguably the best receiver in a receiving room that included Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr, in 2021.

Ultimately, with his early production and a top 20 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, he is a mid-first-round pick in your upcoming dynasty rookie drafts.

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