Insider not buying the hype around one of the draft’s top WRs

While many scouts and draft experts agree that Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba could be the first receiver to hear his name called during the 2023 draft, NBC Sports’ Peter King is not among them.

In his recent column, King questioned exactly why Smith-Njigba has been getting so much love — notably in mock drafts — just 10 days out from the draft in a strong WR class that could include as many as five first-round picks.

“This is not an overriding negative on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, an excellent receiver prospect,” King wrote. “But the Ohio State football season was five months long last year, including practice, and Smith-Njigba got a left hamstring injury early, and he played 60 snaps total in three games, and never got on the field in the last 10 weeks. He runs a 4.48 40-. I’m not the only one wondering: How is Jaxon Smith-Njigba the top-rated receiver on so many boards with 10 days to go?”

King may have a point. He affirmed that he’s heard some teams have reservations about drafting Smith-Njigba in the mid-first round because of his injury history, stating “in a 4.5-month season, he managed to play the equivalent of one football game.”

Though Smith-Njgiba’s 2021 season was promising, he hasn’t played a down since Oct. 22. 

Meanwhile, other top receivers including Jordan Addison (59 receptions, 875 yards, eight touchdowns), Quentin Johnston (60 receptions, 1,069 yards, six touchdowns) and Zay Flowers (78 receptions, 1,077 yards, 12 touchdowns) all had productive seasons in 2022.

Smith-Njigba was limited to just three games in 2022 in which he caught five passes for 43 yards. He had a breakout sophomore year, recording 95 receptions and 1,606 yards — both single-season school records — plus nine touchdowns all while splitting time with two first-round draft picks — Garrett Wilson (No. 10 overall) and Chris Olave (No. 11 overall).