Seahawks Excited to Unleash Healthy Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Complementary Weapon
RENTON, Wash. - Limited to only three games due to a significant hamstring injury in 2022, Jaxon Smith-Njigba endured the toughest season of his athletic career to close out an otherwise stellar tenure starring at Ohio State.
But while watching the Buckeyes advance to the college football playoff without him stung, the injury may have actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the former All-Big Ten performer as well as his new team. After turning in a fantastic sophomore season one year prior, his lack of playing time opened the door for general manager John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks to happily snag him with the 20th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
When asked if Smith-Njigba's injury complicated the evaluation process after the conclusion of the first round, Schneider acknowledged that if the receiver would have stayed healthy and produced anywhere close to how he did in 2021, Seattle wouldn't have had a shot at him.
"Absolutely. That’s why he went where he went," Schneider responded. "If he plays another healthy season, then we’re not acquiring him with the 20th pick in the draft. It definitely complicated it.”
Before being sidelined most of last season, Smith-Njigba looked poised to become Ohio State's next top-15 pick at receiver, following the footsteps of 2022 draft choices Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. One year earlier, he exploded onto the scene playing alongside Wilson and Olave and catching passes from CJ Stroud, racking up 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns.
Capping off the season in style as Rose Bowl MVP, Smith-Njigba lit up Utah's typically stout defense with 15 receptions for 347 yards and a trio of touchdowns. That dominant game by itself stuck with Schneider and coach Pete Carroll, who saw a dynamic playmaker offering many of the complementary traits they have been seeking for several years running.
If the Seahawks had any reservations about Smith-Njigba heading into the draft coming off of an injury-marred season, he squashed such fears with an impressive workout at Ohio State's pro day last month, showcasing those tools that put him high on the team's draft wish list to pair with stars DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
"We needed another guy to fit in with them," Carroll explained. "The competition with the guys that we have here will be wide open, but we see Jaxon fitting in as that third guy with those guys and will complement them and make them better. He can play right now, he will be able to do everything that we want him to do. He had a marvelous workout at the school when we were there. He showed us the kind of physical stuff that we needed to see for his stock because he has a unique way that he plays the game."
Among the many desired skills Seattle expects Smith-Njigba to bring to their already-potent passing game, Carroll highlighted his feel for coverages, reliable hands, and elite change of direction as key attributes in his game. He also cited his lower body strength, which benefits him accelerating out of his breaks and slipping through tackles, as he finished second among all receivers with 790 yards after the catch according to Pro Football Focus.
Excelling as a possession receiver who did most of his damage inside at Ohio State, Carroll expects Smith-Njigba will step in right away as a viable slot weapon for quarterback Geno Smith, helping take pressure off of Metcalf and Lockett and making life more difficult for opposing coordinators. But as they have done with all of their receivers, the Seahawks also plan to move him around some seeing some action at the X and Z receiver spots.
“I really like him, he’s a guy that can play on the inside and in the slot right now," Carroll said. "He has those kinds of skills, and he has shown us everything that we need to see. We will still use the flexibility because we love Tyler in there as well and DK gets in, so we do move our guys. He really has a chance to be a big factor right there.”
In addition, Carroll feels strongly about the veteran-like intangibles Smith-Njigba brings to the Pacific Northwest with him, including his maturity, even-keeled demeanor, and outstanding work ethic and competitive drive. After emerging as a leader for the Buckeyes, he expects those leadership traits to carry over with him as he starts anew with the Seahawks.
"He seems like a pro," Carroll assessed. "He seems like an experienced guy. He’s calm, he’s confident. He believes in himself. That’s conveyed when you hear him talk and how he reacts and how he plays. You feel like he’s ready to go. He’s going to be ready to fit in. I think Geno [Smith] will sense that."
Looking back, Smith-Njigba certainly would have loved for his time at Ohio State to end on a better note. If healthy and producing anywhere close to the clip he did two years ago, he may have been the difference maker upsetting Georgia and advancing to the national title game, setting himself up for a bigger pay day as a top-10 pick.
But at the end of the day, Smith-Njigba stands to benefit from landing with a playoff team with an established Pro Bowl quarterback where he won't have to shoulder the load as a No. 1 target right off the bat. With trying to slow down Metcalf and Lockett remaining the central focus for opponents, the Seahawks will be banking on him providing the tertiary option they've struggled to find and form one of the best receiving trios in the sport.
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