Jaxon Smith Njigba

Pos: WR

School: Ohio State

Ht. 6’1″ 

Wt. 196

Games Watched: Utah(Bowl Game), Michigan(2021), Penn State(2021)

One Liner: Nuanced wide receiver who wins with crafty footwork, route running chops, and reliable hands.

Strengths: 

  • Elite feel for soft spots in zone coverages. JSN is a nuanced receiver who understands where his routes take him and how he can adjust to find soft spots as zone beaters. As a result, he can be relied upon to find open space in zone.
  • Very good route running. JSN has really good footwork and can maintain good positioning while cutting in and out at the stem of his route. JSN poses a threat to win with his route running at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd level. 
  • Very good hands. JSN has reliable and soft hands that allow him to go up and compete for contested catches when his route running can’t generate separation beyond the stem. 
  • Good YAC ability. JSN possesses some shiftiness in his movements pre-throw, and also shows the ability to make people miss with some cuts and twitch in his athleticism. He also has quality balance to keep himself upright through contact.

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate athletic ability. JSN doesn’t win with athletic traits, rather a technical and more nuanced approach to beating man and zone coverages. JSN doesn’t possess long speed or the high level bursts to really separate off DB’s at the 2nd level

Overall Assessment: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a refined receiving threat who projects to succeed best as a slot option as of right now. He demonstrated the ability to win with good footwork, body positioning and route running to keep the DB’s guessing throughout his route. However, JSN lacks top shelf athletic traits to put him above the rest, and will win primarily with technique out of the slot as of right now. He has contested catch ability and reliable hands, so teams may try to play him as a X or Z, but I trust his craft as a slot receiver who has an open release to separate well off the line.

Scheme Fit: Motion Y receiver

Pick Projection: Top 20

Grade: 6.53