Jaxon Smith-Njigba

After a spectacular 2021 sophomore season where he had over 1,600 receiving yards, Smith-Njigba only played 62 snaps across three games in 2022 due to a hamstring injury.

A well built possession machine, this is one the more polished players at his craft in this draft. He understands how to utilize a varied release package to win early in his routes, with an excellent understanding of tempo and spacing. He’s a natural hands catcher that will win in congested and contested situations.

He spent 89% of those 2021 snaps in the slot, dominating the middle of the field. Per PFF, he caught 32 of 37 targets in the 0-10 range there, 15 of 16 in the 10-20 range and 6 out of 7 in the 20+ range. The passer rating when targeted on those was 136.8, 139.6 and 158.3, astonishing efficiency and production between the numbers.

Smith-Njigba doesn’t have high end speed, but every other aspect of his game is well put together. His 6.57 three cone and 3.93 shuttle are elite agility testing metrics, sitting at 96th and 97th percentile for receivers.

His crafty route running and studious nature will lead to early production, especially if he is given the luxury of playing 70%+ snaps out of the slot early on.