Eagles take slow and steady approach in latest mock draft

Numbers aside, Smith is no sure thing. He’ll struggle against bigger, stronger offensive linemen if he doesn’t put on weight, and Georgia rarely used him in coverage. 

Still, Smith showed steady improvement in three years as a Bulldog. His best performance came in 2021. Playing alongside Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis, Smith had 55 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. Davis and Dean joined the Eagles last season and could use a little help from their old teammate.

With the 30th pick, Brinson believes the team will take Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The talented wide receiver went off in 2021 with 95 catches for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns, but hamstring issues limited him to just three games in 2022.

Smith-Njigba ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at Ohio State’s Pro Day. He didn’t run at the combine, but if he did, his time would have tied for 26th out of the 43 wide receivers. But there’s more to the position than straight-line speed.

As a Buckeye, Smith-Njigba made up for his lack of speed with athleticism, quick acceleration and by running crisp routes.

Seen mainly as a slot receiver, Smith-Njigba uses soft hands to make contested catches in traffic. Quez Watkins is Philadelphia’s slot receiver at the moment, but after three unremarkable seasons as an Eagle, he could use a little competition.