Jaxon Smith-Njigba sees himself as top-five player in 2023 Draft

INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba doesn’t just think he’s the top wideout in this year’s NFL Draft. He believes a top-five player in the 2023 class. Period.

“I just think my playmaking ability is second to none in this draft,” Smith-Njigba said. “Given the opportunities, you throw me the ball seven to nine times, I can win you the game.

“I think that speaks for itself.”

Smith-Njigba caught nine or more balls in each of his final five games of the 2021 season, a year in which he broke school records with 95 catches for 1,606 receiving yards as a sophomore. That, of course, included his all-bowl record 347 receiving yards in that year’s Rose Bowl.

And that was with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave — the 10th and 11th overall picks in the 2022 Draft, respectively — gobbling up targets from quarterback C.J. Stroud, too.

Because of Smith-Njigba’s strong finish to his second year in Columbus, he entered this past season as a favorite for the Biletnikoff Award.

But a nagging hamstring injury, which he suffered in the opener against Notre Dame, kept him sidelined practically all of 2022. Smith-Njigba scattered a combined 45 snaps against Toledo in Week 3 and Iowa in Week 8, but he never made a full return to the field and was eventually ruled out for the College Football Playoff.

Even though Smith-Njigba said Friday that he’s only been 100% for approximately two weeks, he received criticism during the season for not trying to finish the year — and not just from fans.

Most notably, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay said that, according to NFL scouts he had talked to, Smith-Njigba was “healthy enough to play” and that the star wideout, who missed practically the whole season with a nagging hamstring injury, was “protecting himself for the draft.”

Smith-Njigba has had his backers, including a horde of his Buckeyes teammates, but that didn’t stop the narrative.

“I mean, of course, that’s on there, but what can you do,” Smith-Njigba said. “My mindset’s always stayed the same. I’m the best at what I do. I’m definitely always ready to prove that at any point, and this is just another point that I’m ready to prove it.”

Smith-Njigba called the speculation about his long speed “a little disrespectful” Friday. He won’t get a chance to prove the doubters wrong until Ohio State’s Pro Day on March 22. That’s when he’ll do his 40-yard dash. Because of limited reps during his recovery, the Rockwall, Texas, native is waiting to run the event.

Smith-Njigba is participating in all other NFL Combine activities, though. Regardless, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound receiver is more than his measurables and test numbers.

“He’s very creative,” former Buckeyes safety Ronnie Hickman said Thursday at the Combine. “He’s not going to run his — whether it’s a five-yard comeback, a three-yard slant or a corner or post — he’s not gonna run it like a normal receiver. He’s going to add his own flavor, and he’s going to create great separation.

“I’ve rarely seen him drop a pass in my years of watching him practice. And you want a receiver that can do those things. I mean, we’ve all seen his route running. We’ve seen his playmaking last year in the Rose Bowl. So I think those things are just tremendous traits to have as a receiver. And he does it at the highest level consistently day in and day out.”

That’s what Smith-Njigba believes sets him apart, his creativity. Even from the NFL wideouts he looks up to like DaVante Adams, Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs.

“I feel like I’m, myself, one of one,” Smith-Njigba said.