Jets Stud With 'World-Class Speed' Emerging As WR2

According to Jets X-Factor’s Nick Faria, who was in attendance at the Jets-New York Giants joint practice on Wednesday in East Rutherford, there’s only one wide receiver on the Jets who’s made himself worthy of WR2, and it’s not Reynolds.

“Arian Smith is the only receiver at this point making consistent plays worthy of being WR2,” Faria posted to X following practice. “Today’s catch only enhanced that notion.”

The catch Faria referred to was an impressive, acrobatic play from Smith, who out-leapt a Giants defender to haul in a deep ball from Adrian Martinez. It was the type of “wow” play worthy of gasps from fans in attendance.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey knows the type of talent Smith possesses; there’s a reason Mougey selected Smith with the No. 110 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. But is it possible that Smith becomes an important contributor sooner than expected?

Smith’s physical gifts have stood out during camp, and from a mental standpoint, he won’t need an adjustment period to playing on a big stage, having played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. Last season, Smith tallied 48 receptions, 817 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns for Georgia.

Arian Smith excelled at track and field in high school, college

Before committing all of his attention to football, Smith ran track in high school and college to considerable success. In 2018, as a sophomore at Mulberry High School (Mulberry, Florida), Smith achieved the farthest long jump in the nation that year among high schoolers. At Georgia, he was named a first-team All-American in the sport in 2021 while qualifying for the SEC Championship in the 100-meter dash.

Smith’s 40-yard dash time at the 2025 NFL combine (4.36 seconds) was tied for No. 10 among all participants and ranked No. 5 among wide receivers (Green Bay Packers wideout Matthew Golden was No. 1 at 4.29 seconds).

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein described Smith during the pre-draft process as a “college sprinter with world-class speed.”

“Smith is the fastest player on the field,” Zierlein added. “If a cornerback presses him and misses, he better have safety help because Smith averaged 36.5 yards on his 10 career touchdown receptions. … He could be a tantalizing option for teams looking to take a chance on his speed late in the draft, but his ball skills are unlikely to improve enough for him to become a long-term option.”

Contrary to Zierlein’s last detail, Smith’s ball skills looked A-okay on Wednesday.