Ohio State has entered the “Wide Receiver University” chat. Eleven broads selected over the past decade will.
And Jaxon Smith-Njigba is next. He managed to stand out on an offense that featured two first-round picks at receiver and was likely part of the reason Jameson Williams — oh yeah, another first-round pick — decided to trade from Ohio State to Alabama after the 2020 season.
Smith-Njigba is not a gifted man with an underdog history. He was a five-star recruit and the No. 5 receiver in the nation in the Class of 2020, according to 247 Sports.
So right now, just weeks before the start of his third season at Ohio State, where does Smith-Njigba rank among the Buckeyes’ recent prospects? Let’s classify them.
Important to remember here: This is how these players were universally considered prospects, taking into account off-field and maturity issues. Their NFL careers had no bearing on these rankings. Let’s go!
McLaurin’s journey to where he is today – a stallion on the verge of being a superstar receiver – is fascinating and unique. He was an unproductive “old” player on a loaded Ohio State roster. His best season came as a 23-year-old senior, and it was a strong season with 35 catches for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns. In the previous three years, McLaurin caught a grand total of 40 passes for 550 yards with eight scores. But McLaurin represents why traits, not productivity, take priority in the drafting process. And there’s an argument that nobody crushed that process like McLaurin. He was nowhere to be found at the Senior Bowl in January in Mobile, Alabama, then ran 4.35 at over 6 feet and nearly 210 pounds at the combine. There were still plenty of reservations about his one-year wonder status and whether he was merely a practice/training warrior. Tapping those reserves seems insane now, but they were legitimate concerns, which is why McLaurin wasn’t picked until the third round. However, the fact that he left so early was the culmination of a meteoric rise.
Campbell was on the track team the Buckeyes sent there to catcher every week during the JT Barrett/Dwayne Haskins days. His career at Columbus gradually ballooned and ended with a season of 90 catches, 1,063 yards and 11 points in 2018. The true junior ran 4.31 with a 40-inch vertical at the combine and that was all. He was destined for the second round, and he thought he could sneak into the first. Decently raw in his runs and when it comes to the finer details of positional play, Campbell was seen as just too productive and too explosive to land in the third round and was generally liked by the masses.
The 40th pick in the 2017 draft was a gimmick, an all-purpose offensive weapon at Ohio State, with more than 1,200 career receptions and 1,200 rushing yards in his three years playing home games at the interior of the Horseshoe. While Samuel was a few years ahead of the “wide back” era in which we are seemingly at the heart of today’s NFL, there was much to be excited about his potential as a multi-dimensional weapon. . Far from incredibly polished as a receiver, Samuel’s sheer speed – another 4.31 guy! – at 5-11 and nearly 200 pounds made him a minimal-crit selection by the Panthers entering the second round that year.
Please check the subscribe box to confirm that you wish to subscribe.
Thank you for your registration!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
An error occurred while processing your subscription.
Thomas’ time as a prospect predates my time at CBS Sports, but I vividly recall that he was widely considered underrated in the 2016 cycle, which in hindsight is interesting because he was initially dubbed a second-round talent, but if so many people thought he was underrated, it’s odd he wasn’t picked sooner. Ezekiel Elliott was Ohio State’s attacking dude during Thomas’ two seasons as a full-time player, but the 6-3 wide still had over 50 catches and over 700 yards each season. , and he caught 18 total touchdowns. And the 2016 draft receiving class was weird, man. The vast majority of us got it wrong at the top. I mean, Corey Coleman then Will Fuller then Josh Doctson, Laquon Treadwell, Sterling Shepard then Michael Thomas? Whoops. Despite being the sixth-largest receiver on the board in 2016, Thomas was considered a safe pick. Good outlook.
Olave’s ability for pedestrians after capture was the only consensus that struck him as a prospect just a few months ago. He flashed in his first season for the Buckeyes and became a clear, top prospect during his junior campaign when he decided to return for another try at Columbus. Boasting impeccable ball tracking skills and savvy handling on the roads, Olave was adored by the masses last April.
2. Jaxson Smith-Njigba (2023)
When he finished at Ohio State, Olave’s routes were considered sharper than Smith-Njigba’s right now, but the latter was more explosive post-catch when the two were on the court together, that makes no difference. doubt. And Smith-Njigba is almost two years younger than Olave. It was Smith-Njigba who led the Buckeyes in receiving yards last year by more than 500 total yards. Now, the true junior doesn’t seem like an elite athletic specimen with a low 4.3 speed, but plays with serious suddenness, almost always hitting top speed faster than everyone else. With a studious junior year – which is likely coming – he could land in the top spot.
Wilson was a conglomerate of Olave and Smith-Njigba – he ran courses nearly as sharp as Olave and played with an explosiveness on par with his younger counterpart with and without the football in his hands. And like Olave, everyone knew Wilson was destined for the first round after seeing him in his first season for the Buckeyes. From dynamic post-catch splatter plays, to contested catches that seemed to give Wilson the luxury of bouncing on a trampoline, to scintillatingly quick road touchdowns, Wilson had it all from a skill and talent perspective. , which is why he edged out Olave and received the No. 1 spot here.