C.J. Stroud reveals how he knew Jaxon Smith-Njigba was going to be special

JSN's former teammate at Ohio State saw him make a remarkable one-handed catch in his very first college practice.

Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) wearing the Seahawks throw back helmet prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

There have been a lot of pleasant surprises for the Seattle Seahawks this year, especially on offense. Sam Darnold is not only living up to expectations, he's playing better than ever before - including last year's breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold's primary target has been the team's new No. 1 wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is by far the biggest surprise of all. Heading into Week 7, JSN leads the NFL with 696 receiving yards - and he's getting buzz as an Offensive Player of the Year candidate.

One guy who isn't surprised by JSN blowing up is this week's opponent, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud - who played with him at Ohio State.

Stroud told reporters earlier this week that he knew Smith-Njigba was going to be special when he made a crazy one-handed catch in his very first college practice.

C.J. Stroud on Jaxon Smith-Njigba

#Texans QB CJ Stroud said #Seahawks WR JSN “is one of the best he’s ever played with if not the best.”

Said he knew early at Ohio State that Jaxon Smith-Njigba was going to be special. First day of practice “he made a crazy one-handed catch.” pic.twitter.com/qacY1z8L5o

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) October 16, 2025

JSN's traditional numbers are impressive enough, but the advanced stats show that he's blowing away the competition - breaking nearly every chart there is to measure receiving production this season.

This week Smith-Njigba will face his toughest test yet of 2025. The Texans will have him shadowed by star DB Derek Stingley, who has the second-biggest cornerback contract in the league.

So far Stingley has lived up to the Houston's big offseason investment, allowing just a 50% completion rate, zero touchdowns and a 60.6 passer rating when targeted.

Not everyone is a fan of Stingley's body of work this season, though. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus has Stingley graded out at 51.2 in coverage and 47.6 overall, which ranks 145th out of cornerbacks with enough snaps to qualify.

By comparison, JSN is thriving according to PFF's grading system. Only LA Rams star Puka Nacua has a higher grade at wide receiver through six games.

Either way, whoever gets the best of this particular one on one matchup will go a long way towards securing a win for their team.

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