Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 'preposterous' stat is far ahead of NFL peers

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had high expectations entering the 2025 season, and not only has he met those expectations so far, he's exceeding them.

Smith-Njigba, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been probably the best receiver in the entire NFL through the first third of the season. In six games, the former Ohio State superstar has 42 reception for a league-leading 696 yards and three touchdowns, and just had his best performance of the season with eight receptions for 162 yards and a score in Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He is responsible for 44.7 percent of the Seahawks' total receiving yardage, which only reinforces how special he has been this season.

Oct 12, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) celebrates after a touchdown during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

There's no shortage of jaw-dropping stats that illustrate Smith-Njigba's unreal start to the season, but CBS Sports' Jared Dubin shared perhaps the most jaw-dropping of them all.

"He's averaging a preposterous 4.49 yards per route run, according to TruMedia, over a full yard more than the next-closest player," Dubin wrote. "There has been 2,293 instances of a playing running at least 50 routes in the first six weeks of the season over the last 10 years. JSN's yards per route run so far this season ranks second-best among that group of players. He's having an outrageous start to the season with no signs of slowing down."

Nearly 4.5 yards per route run is an absolutely ridiculous stat, and shows that Smith-Njigba is not only a workhorse wideout, but a premier deep threat as well. He's also currently averaging 16.6 yards per reception, which ranks 10th among qualified players, and he's doing it on a far higher number of receptions than his peers.

There were plenty of questions about the Seahawks' passing game before the season, not due to Smith-Njigba, but due to the pieces around him. Sam Darnold was coming in at quarterbac, the rest of the receiving corps looked drastically different and the offensive line was still a major question mark.

As it turns out, having a wideout who can do it all helps any passing game thrive, and Smith-Njigba has clearly done just that for Seattle.

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