Former Ohio State star Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t wait long to make an impression in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks.
The former Buckeye hauled in an impressive one-handed touchdown grab in practice Thursday. His former teammate Garrett Wilson , who’s going into Year 2 with the New York Jets, already hyped him up.
See why Wilson said “Ya’ll have seen nun yet,” below.
As you can see, Smith-Njigba made it look really easy. Granted, the players aren’t in full pads, but still, you can’t deny the skill level.
This is coming from a former Ohio State star that missed practically all of the 2022 season with injury. But he was a force to be reckoned with in 2021, especially in the Rose Bowl.
Seattle used the No. 20 overall pick on him in the 2023 NFL Draft. The team firmly believes in his ability to be a game-changing wide receiver.
The speed was on display as well, despite that not being Smith-Njigba’s top trait.
“After being limited early by the hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of last season, Smith-Njigba has looked exactly as advertised — a skilled route-runner who excels at getting open from the slot,” ESPN’s Brady Henderson wrote in June. “Despite not being known as a burner, he showed he has plenty of speed when he got behind fellow first-rounder Devon Witherspoon on a wheel route to haul in a long touchdown, perhaps his top highlight of the spring.”
Quarterback Geno Smith is already a big fan. It could be a great one-two punch with DK Metcalf and Smith-Njigba.
“He’s so impressive,” Smith said, via ESPN. “Very smooth route-runner. Natural hands. Also, the game is not too big for him. You can see he’s got that self-confidence that you look for.”
Smith-Njigba became a superstar for his Rose Bowl performance at the end of the 2021 season. That season, he finished with 95 catches, 1,606 yards, nine touchdowns and 16.9 yards per catch.
He logged just 10 catches as a freshman and was limited to three games and five catches last season due to injury.As a member of the Class of 2020, Smith-Njigba was a five-star recruit out of Rockwall (Texas) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 5 overall prospect in the state, the No. 3 wide receiver in the class and the No. 28 overall prospect in the class.
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