Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba Unlike Any 'In Quite Some Time’; Doug Baldwin Comp
RENTON, Wash. - Over the past four seasons, no tandem of teammates has been as statistically productive catching footballs in the NFL as DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for the Seattle Seahawks.
Since Metcalf arrived a second-round selection in 2019 to pair with Lockett, the two star receivers stand alone as the only pair of teammates to eclipse 4,000 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns during that span. Their impressive run of success continued without Russell Wilson last season, as both players recorded 1,000-yard seasons with a new quarterback in Geno Smith under center and Seattle advanced to an unexpected playoff berth.
But after a wild card round exit in January, the Seahawks weren't satisfied with the supporting cast behind Metcalf and Lockett in their receiving corps. Holding two first-round selections in last month's draft, they upgraded Smith's arsenal by snagging Ohio State star Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick with the aim of taking their passing attack to another stratosphere.
Viewing Smith-Njigba as the ideal complementary tertiary target the franchise has lacked for the past several seasons, senior director of player personnel Matt Berry broke down the savvy route runner's game and how he can help further elevate Seattle's offense on a recent episode of the Locked On Seahawks podcast.
"We haven't had a player in quite some time - a young player, a rookie coming in - with his instincts and his ability to separate from the slot, so we're excited about him," Berry said.
Echoing comments previously made by general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll, Berry considers the Seahawks fortunate to land Smith-Njigba, who he didn't think would last until their second choice in the first round. But now that he's in Seattle, the team will need to quickly learn how to build off this fortune.
"I think he just adds another weapon," Berry said of Smith-Njigba. "You look at where he's going to start, it's going to be in the slot. His ability to create separation now, his feel [for coverage], his ability to be a quarterback-friendly player, his transition post catch, it just puts that much more pressure on a secondary and a defense."
While Smith-Njigba isn't built like Metcalf by any means, he's not a tiny wideout either, which made those athletic measurables all the more impressive. Measuring in at 6'1 and nearly 200 pounds and toughing it out to yield fantastic times across the board when some didn't think he would run at all, his elite agility, acceleration, and quickness coupled with his soft hands and route running acumen conjured up memories from Barry of another former Seahawk star he once scouted.
"You're comparing his change of direction to Doug Baldwin, when you're looking at the short shuttle and stuff," Berry said. " ... He reminded all of us how talented he was. And then he built on it at the pro day. And he ran when people didn't think he should run. That just speaks to the type of makeup and the type of competitor and wanting to prove himself and how special a prospect, an individual he actually is. We were jacked up together as a group."
However, Smith-Njigba's fall wasn't necessarily unpredictable either. A hamstring injury limited him to only three games in his final season with the Buckeyes and he only caught five passes for 43 yards in those contests, failing to come anywhere close to the numbers he put up as a sophomore when he surpassed 1,600 yards, finished second among receivers in yards after the catch, and hauled in nine touchdowns from quarterback C.J. Stroud.
This lack of production during an injury-marred season created plenty of questions for teams after he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Would he be the same player he was two years earlier? Or is something else going on?
But any reservations Seattle may have had about Smith-Njigba quickly ceased to exist thanks to his performance at the NFL combine and Ohio State's pro day. Though he wasn't quite 100 percent recovered from the hamstring injury and opted not to run the 40-yard dash, he turned in a historic performance in Indianapolis, exhibiting off-the-charts change of direction skills running a 6.57 3-cone drill and 3.93 short shuttle.
Putting those testing numbers in perspective, only 16 prospects had posted a quicker 3-cone time since 2000 and his short shuttle time officially became the fastest by a receiver during that span. Both results scored at least in the 96th percentile in combine history according to MockDraftable.
Further easing concerns coming off his injury, Smith-Njigba surprisingly ran the 40-yard dash when he wasn't expected to at his pro day workout, posting a solid 4.52 time that exceeded expectations for a player who wasn't necessarily known for his speed at Ohio State. In addition, he looked like his old self snagging passes out of the air during drill work and running precise routes on the indoor practice field.
With only one football to go around, expectations may need to be tempered for Smith-Njigba initially. Smith won't have any shortage of options to throw to with Metcalf and Lockett returning for another season to terrorize secondaries, a talented trio of tight ends headlined by Will Dissly and Noah Fant, and four excellent receiving backs on the roster. That's a lot of mouths for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to try to feed in his offense.
But unlike most first-round receivers who come into the league, Smith-Njigba won't have to shoulder the burden of immediately becoming a No. 1 target and/or playing in an offense without a quality starting quarterback. A route running maestro from the slot who can do substantial damage after the catch, the presence of Metcalf and Lockett on the outside should make it even easier for him to chew up opposing defenses in the middle of the field and frequently move the chains.
Joining an offense loaded with skill position talent, Berry has no doubts Smith-Njigba will be able to make an instant impact, even if it doesn't reflect in gaudy stats right away. Assuming he is fully recovered from the injury that slowed him last year, his strengths will bring a different dimension to the passing game not offered by Lockett or Metcalf, which should open up the entire playbook for Smith and company and subsequently make life tougher on opponents trying to cover everyone.
"When you put that with our tight end group and our running back group in the pass game and DK and Tyler and the way Geno has been playing, I think you give Shane [Waldron] a ton of flexibility in the formations and the personnel groupings and the plays he's gonna be able to call."
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