After being drafted No. 20 overall by Seattle, Jaxon Smith-Njigba says 'it took a village' to get to the NFL
Former Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba joins a long line of contemporary Buckeye receivers to head to the NFL, as he was selected No. 20 overall by the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night in the 2023 NFL Draft. And while Smith-Njigba had to wait a little bit for his name to get called, he’s fired up and ready to join the Seahawks receiving corps.
But before the wideout gets down to brass tacks as a professional football player, he took a brief moment to reflect. Speaking with ESPN NFL reporter Suzy Kolber, Smith-Njigba acknowledged the network of people who helped him reach this point.
“It’s awesome. A dream come true, like you said. A lot of work has been put in. It took a village for me to be here and I appreciate everybody. All the sacrifices, all the love that I’ve got back home,” Smith-Njigba said. “Let’s do this thing.”
And Smith-Njigba isn’t the first in his family to be gracing a professional sports field. His older brother, Canaan, plays in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and made his MLB debut last season.
To be the next person in his family repping his name at the next level means a great deal to the star wideout.
“It means everything. It means everything to me. It means everything to my family. I just want to represent it the right way and go about it the right way,” Smith-Njigba said.
With the Seahawks, Smith-Njigba will have an opportunity to flourish among some of the best pass catching options in the NFL. Smith-Njigba playing alongside D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett immediately gives Seattle one of the best receiving corps in the league and will have quarterback Geno Smith resting easy heading into the 2023 season.
Just before the draft, Smith-Njigba stood on the table for his Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud
Speaking with ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge, Smith-Njigba was adamant that C.J. Stroud should go No. 1 overall. And while the Carolina Panthers were likely to take former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Smith-Njigba said maybe they should be thinking otherwise.
“Where do I think? I think No. 1. At least he should,” Smith-Njigba said. “If I was picking —”
“You all know he’s going first,” former Buckeye offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. said, interjecting. “He’s going first.”
Smith-Njigba continued on his general stump speech for Stroud, and he snuck in a good word for Johnson.
“Wherever he goes, a team is honored to have him. They’re lucky enough to have these guys. They’re going to be excellent,” Smith-Njigba said. “I don’t know anything, but I know that they’re going to be excellent in the league.”