Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba: The Next Cooper Kupp?
The Seattle Seahawks have built a reputation of getting their fair share of steals in the draft, something that potentially continued when looking at the team's selections last month. Seattle used its second first-round pick at No. 20 on receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a move that many draft experts quickly labeled as a steal.
Calling a first-round pick a "steal" means that the expectations were already high to begin with. For Smith-Njigba, his hamstring injury this past season caused a fall in the first round despite having the talent to warrant being in the top-10.
But say he finds Pro Bowl-level success in his career, Smith-Njigba's definition of a draft steal will still be vastly different from that of one the best players and receivers in the NFL ... though a closer look could reveal similarities.
Los Angeles Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp was moderately known coming out of Eastern Washington as a third-round pick to LA in 2017. A talented player of course, as all third-round picks are. But no one thought he'd become the star he is today.
The Rams got the ultimate steal with Kupp. He has since posted 508 catches and 46 touchdowns in 80 career games while winning Offensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl MVP, a ring and totaling the second-most receiving yards in a season (1,947) in 2021.
Smith-Njigba would have to reach elite-level status to be considered a true draft steal at No. 20 overall. And luckily according to ESPN, he's headed there due to his similarities with Kupp.
"I've talked to multiple teams who wonder whether the Seahawks now have the best receiving trio in the NFL after placing Jaxon Smith-Njigba alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett," ESPN writes. "The Seahawks did not expect Smith-Njigba to be there at No. 20, thinking he'd go somewhere in the teens. Seattle has had an up-close look at Cooper Kupp over the years, and Smith-Njigba has a similar skill set as an elite slot receiver who can also move to the outside."
Saying a young player or new-born rookie is the next version of a certified star can oftentimes be a disservice to at least one of the players in the comparison, but the JSN-Kupp comparisons make some sense.
With similar heights and builds, both Kupp and Smith-Njigba played bigger than their average size during college. We've seen how that has also mattered little for Kupp during his NFL career due to his other star-studded traits, but Smith-Njigba has certainly shown he's got that star quality as well that could help him in the league. Even at a place like Ohio State, it's what set him apart from almost everyone else that took the field with him.
In his last fully healthy season in 2021, JSN was putting up unreal numbers while looking like one of the best players in college football. During his last notable performance, he totaled 15 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns against the Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl. Before that record-setting day, he had already had four straight games with at least 100 receiving yards.
Those kind of numbers are barely seen, yet Kupp was getting somewhat close to that 300-yard mark in college more than anyone else.
In four years at Eastern Washington, he had six 200-yard receiving games and a whopping 30 100-yard receiving games. Smith-Njigba has just one year of elite production under his belt, but got seven 100-yard receiving games out of it, highlight by his aforementioned 347-yarder and a 240-yard performance earlier that season.
Now granted, Eastern Washington isn't Ohio State, but that's what makes Smith-Njigba's tape even more impressive even though there's less of it.
We'll able to consistently see any potential comparisons over the next few seasons during the pair of annual NFC West matchups the Seahawks and Rams will have with each other. Fans won't have to wait long either, as Seattle hosts LA in Week 1 this September.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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