Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s elite day at the NFL Combine made comparisons to these 2 NFL stars valid

A hamstring injury derailed most of Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s final season with Ohio State. But after a dynamite 2023 NFL Scouting Combine performance, the wide receiver still looks ready for a bright pro football future.

While players like Anthony Richardson (who stole the show) and former Buckeyes teammate C.J. Stroud (as the QB talked about his future) are more high-profile, Smith-Njigba used his testing well. It may have even vaulted him back into the firm first-round conversation — making the idea of a reunion with another previous Ohio State teammate seem more realistic.

For someone who didn’t even run the 40-yard dash (he plans to at Ohio State’s Pro Day), Smith-Njigba showed out. He almost made not running the famed sprint irrelevant.

There was Smith-Njigba’s impeccably smooth run through the gauntlet drill:

He had obvious fluidity (what we often saw in college) coming out of his breaks as a polished route-runner. This is precisely what you want to see out of an NFL playmaker:

Some of which Smith-Njigba showed while Stroud fed him passes:

One of the most significant parts of Smith-Njigba’s day was when he showed off his lateral quickness — particularly a 6.57 time on a three-cone drill. If Smith-Njigba is to shine as a primary slot receiver at the next level, he showed he has the burst to do it:

Factor in a blazing 3.93 20-yard shuttle, and apt comparisons to the Los Angeles Rams Cooper Kupp — the Super Bowl 56 MVP — will not stop between now and the end of April:

Did I mention that Smith-Njigba’s lateral testing also compared favorably to three-time Pro Bowler (2014-2016) and two-time Second-Team All-Pro (2015, 2016) Odell Beckham Jr.?

I probably should because Smith-Njigba tested better than Beckham Jr. here:

To some, Smith-Njigba’s strange 2022 had his stock drop precipitously. But for those like our Christian D’Andrea, the wideout almost always had the ability of a first-round pick.

Now, after crushing it at the Combine, that star projection feels like a lock.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.