2023 NFL Draft: Jaxon Smith-Njigba - OSU Wide Receiver

    

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Ohio State

Strengths:

1. Mid-Route Acceleration - JSN can get separation on nearly every play regardless of his route because he can pull away from any defender. His burst is unmatched, and his subtle movements make him one of the best route runners in college football.

2. Short Area Separation - He just gets open. On one play he can find the hole in a zone, and on the next he can gain a step in man. There is not one method he uses to gain his separation, he just uses his route running and football intelligence to do what is needed of him on every play.

3. Blocking - For someone who weighs under 200lbs, JSN is an incredible blocker. He rarely misses a block, and locks up corners, safeties, and even linebackers on occasion. He understands angles, posture, and hand placement better than most other college receivers.

Weaknesses:

1. Big Play Potential - This will likely change after the 2022 season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is certainly capable of making big plays, it is just not seen frequently throughout his tape. Most routes he is asked to run are under 15 yards, and he plays almost exclusively from the slot.

2. Top-End Speed - His acceleration is next-level, but his straight-line speed is nothing special. There are multiple plays throughout his tape where he is brought down from behind.

3. RAC Ability - While used frequently in a gadget role, that is not his strong suit. He has strong legs and can make a man miss, but it there are better gadget guys in the class.

Grade: Top 10 Pick

Jaxon Smith-Njigba could realistically fall anywhere in the first round. If he continues to play from the slot at Ohio State, then the NFL may not value him as highly.

Pro Comparison: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a far superior prospect out of college in every way, but the their playstyles and measurables are similar. ARSB has developed into an excellent wide receiver, and his production thus far could be comparable to what will be expected from Jaxon Smith-Njigba entering the league.

Film Notes:

Michigan (11/27/2021): 11-127-0

Excellent stance and acceleration. Quick footwork that could be cleaned up. Good blocking technique. Good move after catch, but clearly not a RAC superstar. Good route improvisation, but dropped the diving catch. Elite lateral acceleration on route moves. Impressive blocking all game. Route running quickness is very impressive. Got a step on double move over the middle. Rotates head with route moves faster than any other wide receiver, period. Insane one-handed contested catch (Seen Below). Always open in short yardage situations. Great one step acceleration, but not used vertically very often. Quick feet, excellent in short yardage situations, and has a diverse route tree. Played exclusively from the slot. Overall a less impressive game for JSN due to the play calling, but he still made the most out of his opportunities.

Michigan State (11/20/2021): 10-105-1

Solid block on defender who out-weighed him. Excellent block on second level. Abrupt single-step cuts. Decent speed, but nothing special. Not special after the catch, but still formidable. Very sure hands. Finds the hole in zone well. Good run after catch. Reliable chain mover and not asked frequently to be a big-play guy downfield. Always a viable target 0-5 yards from the line of scrimmage. Excellent quick move after the catch.

Purdue (11/13/2021): 9-139-1

Nice screen block. Quick feet allowed him to get separation deep if the play called for it. Lacks top end speed. Another great block. Accelerates and changes route speed abruptly. Great run after the catch. Always gets separation 0-10 yards out. Knows how to angle routes to maximize separation at the break. Wide open 15 yards downfield against zone.

Penn State (10/30/2021): 6-97-0

High steps to gain separation 5 yards out. Wide open 18 yards downfield. Mid-route acceleration is incredible. Great block. Knows where to be against zone. No one around him 5 yards downfield. Good low catch. Clever release, followed by a big play (Seen Below). Great lateral line release. Gained a step against press, which is promising for his 2022 outlook.

Coverage:

Press

Rarely went against press as a slot receiver. He gained a step on the corner in the few reps seen, but more tape against press will be seen in 2022 assuming Ohio State moves him to more of an outside role.

Soft Press

While not technically soft press, JSN had many routes where a defender lined up roughly three yards off of him, and stuck with him until the route exceeded eight or so yards. Regardless of route distance, JSN could pull away from the defender. He always had separation under five yards out, usually had a step on the defender 5-10 yards out, and was in open space on most of his routes beyond 10 yards.

Squat

This was not seen much throughout his tape as a slot only receiver. When linebackers were asked to pick him up in coverage, they simply could not stay on him. When he was on the outside against squat, he reliably rotated the defenders hips to his advantage with subtly body movements and managed to gain separation.

Off

JSN usually ran shallow routes, so any cushion would lead to him being wide open. It is difficult to judge his ability downfield against off coverage from working so heavily in the slot.

Inside Zone

Nearly perfect against zone coverage. He was by himself on the vast majority of plays against zone coverage. Anywhere from 0-15 yards downfield, he always knows exactly where to be.

Route Distance:

Behind LOS

While used frequently behind the line of scrimmage, he is certainly not a stud in the open field. He lacks contact balance and top-end speed, but can generally make the first man miss. He may be used in this manner on occasion in the NFL because he is good enough to find success, but there are better gadget players out there.

0-5 yards

Lateral acceleration and abrupt movements make JSN a threat in the flats and underneath. He is used very frequently in this range from the slot, and is almost always a viable target. His three-step change of direction is also exceptional.

5-10 yards

He excels in this range as well. He has excellent footwork and movement skills on slants and hooks, but can also run more complex routes in this range due to his quick burst and subtle movements. Most receivers use double moves to make big plays downfield, while JSN can run effective double moves to gain separation under 10 yards out.

10-15 yards

Always in plenty of open space. Crossing over the middle usually maximized his space in the middle of the field. Finding deeper holes against zone was also reliable.

15-20 yards

Double moves over the middle are absolutely deadly. He is seemingly always open in the middle of the field regardless of the route he is asked to run. It is peculiar that he was not used this way more frequently throughout the season.

20+ yards

JSN does not have the speed to get separation downfield quickly, but he can use his abrupt acceleration to rotate the hips of his opponent and gain a window where he is uncovered. He is surprisingly good in contested catch situations, and should thrive on the outside in 2022 with his burst and route running prowess. He will not win with speed, but can still win downfield with every other tool at his disposal.

Blocking:

Willingness

Extremely willing blocker. He rarely misses a block, and will always put effort into this part of his game.

Technique

Very good technique for someone of his stature. He has good hand placement, and frequently locks up guys who appear bigger than he is. His angles are usually correct, and his posture helps him play with more functional length than he naturally has.

Attributes:

Attributes		Grade (/10)	Notes
Separation	Short	9.5	Insanely quick feet, head movements, and burst both laterally and linearly. He does not sell false routes like the other Ohio State receivers Olave and Wilson, but he gets the separation needed in short area situations due to his subtle body language, immediate burst, and overall concentration at the catch point.
	Medium	9.5	Footwork can be cleaned up a bit despite always being open. JSN frequently powers off of his inside foot, which would be efficient if he sunk his hips and used his outside foot to pivot. He has the lower body strength and athleticism to correct this minor habit and improve this category to 10/10.
	Deep	8	While his separation 15-30 yards downfield from the slot is elite, he has not shown a home run ability over the top. He has plenty of longer receptions and touchdowns on tape, but rarely does he find himself pulling in bombs downfield. This could easily improve to a 9+/10 after the 2022 season, but he needs to show an ability to gain separation down the sideline first. Showing good tape downfield against outside corners would likely solidify a top 5 draft spot for him.
Release	Stance	9.5	Every part of his stance is usually solid. There is the occasional drop step, but nothing remotely concerning.
	Acceleration	10	His line release is so sudden that he can gain separation from his first step. His lower body is so strong and twitchy that he can come off of the line differently than most receivers are physically capable of doing.
	Hip Control	8.5	This grade is tough because his hips are very fluid and he has excellent burst and acceleration in every direction. It is only below a 9/10 because he does not use levels to his advantage. If he learned how to get lower when necessary, his RAC, route running, and release would all improve.
Hands	Catch Reliability	9	Aside from not catching the occasional underthrown low ball, JSN has very reliable hands. He catches everything thrown his way as long as it is mostly on target.
	Catch Radius	6.5	His arms appear quite short for 6'0. This may not be entirely accurate, but he rarely makes leaping or flashy diving catches. Contested Catch - He has surprisingly good hands in traffic, but is rarely put in a position to go up for a jump ball. This is an area where he will have more tape after 2022 assuming he plays outside.
Versatility	Starting Position	7	Currently, he plays in the slot, but also lines up tight and in the backfield. He has shown the ability to play outside, so this may catapult to a 9+/10 with more reps outside.
	Overall Skill Set	9	If it were not for a lack of speed and contact balance, JSN would be the perfect prospect. He sees success on every route, any distance downfield. He knows how to get open, block, and get the necessary yards. Once he shows more success downfield against outside corners, this will likely become a 10/10.
RAC	Athleticism	7.5	He is not super big nor fast, but he is an athlete in every other sense. He has great instincts, twitch, and control. The main reason he is not a 9+/10 is simply because he lacks some upper body strength and physicality after the catch.
	Agility	7.5	He can make the first guy miss, but does not possess the same elusiveness in open space as the better NFL YAC receivers.
	Contact Balance	6.5	Shedding arm tackles is one thing, but he will not usually stay on his feet after solid contact. With how strong his legs appear on tape, this could certainly improve as he develops his strength and gains more experience.
Awareness	Sideline	8	This is not higher or lower because there is no reason to believe otherwise. He was not asked to make boundary receptions or tightrope the sideline after a catch often, and was fine the few times he was. As one of the smarter and seemingly more aware receivers in this draft class, this grade should likely be higher. He just needs to show enough reps in his tape to elicit a superior grade.
	Defensive Scheme	10	JSN knows how to get separation against any scheme. Whether he actively recognizes it or plays by feel, he is doing something right.
	Improvisation	6	There is not much improvisation throughout his tape, but sometimes his routes die off when they are completed. This is not common, and Stroud usually has an option in a star-studded offense, but this is an area where Smith-Njigba could certainly improve.

Full Report:

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is easily an early first round talent, despite mainly playing in the slot all of 2021. He is not exceedingly flashy, but always manages to gain separation. He is an elite short distance route runner, and uses suddenness and abrupt acceleration to pull away from coverage at any level of the field. He has sure hands, is decent after the catch, and is truly an amazing blocker for his size. Despite being a top-end prospect, there are several concerns due to lack of reps because he was never really asked to play on the outside. Most of his separation came from inside zone coverage and nickel corners trying to stay with him. He has not proven his skillset against elite outside corners, and has never had to worry about being double teamed. He also lacks upper body strength, and has not had to worry about getting jammed at the line. Hopefully, Ohio State allows him to play predominantly outside in 2022 so that he can prove that he is deserved of a top 10 pick.

NFL Projection:

JSN will be a top fifteen pick in the NFL. He will become the go-to possession receiver on a poor team, and immediately improve the offense. He will have an impressive rookie season statistically, but the fan base will be disappointed by his lack of big plays and touchdowns in his first year.

2022 Update:

JSN essentially missed the entire 2022 season, taking only 40 pass snaps in three games, and people are forgetting how truly dominant he was in 2021. He was considered to be the best receiver on OSU last season while playing alongside Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. The consensus at the time was the he will be a top 10 pick, if not top 5, in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he has shown little on the field that should change that. The primary reasons he is falling, aside from recency bias, are because he got injured, has poor testing numbers, and never got the chance to prove himself from the outside. He is not a high caliber athlete, gets caught from behind, and people worry because he is not as much of a big play threat from the slot with 4.6 speed. These concerns are all reasonable, but it should not cause him to be dropping as far as he is. He had arguably better tape than both Olave and Wilson in 2021, and should be considered early in the first round by teams who work more heavily through the slot. If his injury is not recovering as planned, then that is a different story altogether, but there is currently no reason to think that he will not be good to go well before training camp next August.