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:
JSN gauntlet pic.twitter.com/t1MNpedcTA
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 4, 2023
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:
Nice route and toe tap by JSN pic.twitter.com/kRFN9wBszk
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 4, 2023
Some of which Smith-Njigba showed while Stroud fed him passes:
I would take Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 14 overall and not look back pic.twitter.com/RyyjTQ87Bj
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 4, 2023
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:
6.57 on the 3 cone for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Wow! pic.twitter.com/tDLhFjd2H8
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) March 5, 2023
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:
Short shuttle
Jaxon Smith-Njigba 3.93
Cooper Kupp 4.083 cone
Jaxon Smith-Njigba 6.57
Cooper Kupp 6.75Don’t care what JSN’s 40 time is. The route running is at a high level on tape and the short area burst is confirmed here.
— Brandon Robinson (@BRobNFL) March 5, 2023
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:
JSN 🤝 OBJ
Combine quickness pic.twitter.com/2bMBLyGgK3— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) March 5, 2023
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.
