2023 NFL Draft: Does 2022 Affect The Draft Stock Of Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a ridiculous 2021 season. How does almost no snaps in 2022 affect his 2023 NFL Draft stock?

The wide receiver class for the 2023 NFL Draft might not have the superstar power that its predecessors in 2020, 2021, and 2022 had. That isn’t the end of the world. There are plenty of receivers who can earn quick roles on NFL offenses in this class, and it might truly be one of those “find your role” classes, where if a team needs a jump ball receiver, got it. If they need a deep threat, shouldn’t be a problem. And, if a team needs a strong route runner who can dominate from the slot? Jaxon Smith-Njigba is here waiting to play on Sundays.

Smith-Njigba declared for the NFL Draft this week, and subsequently announced he won’t play in the College Football Playoff due to injuries that have derailed his 2022 season. He only finished with 60 total snaps in games against Notre Dame, Iowa, and Toledo.

But what does the 2022 season truly mean for his 2023 NFL Draft stock? After all, Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021 while in an offense that featured two top picks at receiver in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. That fantastic season was capped by a legendary Rose Bowl performance, where he caught 15 passes for a whopping 347 yards, not to mention three touchdowns. The production expectations were sky high in 2022, even with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka joining the starting ranks (partially due to C.J. Stroud still under center). Instead, injuries reared their ugly head.

So, where do we see him now. Obviously, he was part of the early WR1 discussions in the summer because of the aforementioned production, along with a couple others. That led to a lot of top 10 talks. But, several, including myself, may have overhyped him a bit.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba got a ton of free releases in 2021, playing 88.6 percent of his receiving snaps in the slot (367 of 411). He doesn’t have overwhelming twitch or explosiveness, and often gets caught when running in the open field.

However, that doesn’t mean that Smith-Njigba can be a good receiver at the next level. He’s impressive attacking leverage as a route runner, and creates space for himself and big throwing windows for his quarterback. He reads coverage really well and dictates his route depth based on what he sees. He’s as reliable as anyone catching the football, and can find ways to win through contact and make a great play. Despite the lack of burst and explosiveness, Smith-Njigba has great feel after the catch, often finding lanes and making that first defender miss.

At this point, Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be a superb slot player in the NFL, just based on the amount of space he can create for himself as a route runner and how much he thrived at getting chunk gains post-catch. If the release package gets better, there’s a chance he gets more reps on the perimeter.

All of this likely means he’ll be selected at the back end of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but there is some room for him to grow into a successful player on the perimeter. So did, 2022 really hurt him in the eyes of the NFL? Maybe, but it’s more likely that our excitement for the next draft got out of hand, and late round one/early round two was always his range.