Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is No. 1 player in 'College Football 27,' but don't expect him to be No. 1 pick in 2027 NFL Draft

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is No. 1 player in 'College Football 27,' but don't expect him to be No. 1 pick in 2027 NFL Draft

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 24, 2026 3:02 PM ET

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith may be the best player in college football. It's still unlikely he'll be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft in Washington.

On Wednesday, EA Sports announced that Smith will be rated 99 (the highest grade) in the video game "College Football 27," which releases on July 9. That marks the first time a player has received the coveted rating at the game's launch. Former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza didn't receive a 99 until after the 2025 season. He went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 draft after winning the 2025 Heisman.

Smith's not one of the cover athletes for this year's edition of the game, but he donned it last season alongside Alabama Crimson Tide WR Ryan Coleman-Williams. That may not be his last time as a promotional athlete.

What makes Jeremiah Smith an elite prospect?

Smith's NFL ceiling is considered higher than that of any WR in this upcoming draft and last year's draft, which included former teammate Carnell Tate, who earned a first-team All-Big 10 selection. The Tennessee Titans selected him at No. 4.

https://t.co/SGgJS17JiS
— Jeremiah Smith (@Jermiah_Smith1) June 24, 2026

"I literally think he could be the best wide receiver of all time," The Ringer's Todd McShay said of Smith in April.

Smith is on pace to break multiple receiving records at Ohio State, nicknamed "Wide Receiver University." The Buckeyes have produced many standouts at the position, including Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who won 2025 Offensive Player of the Year after tallying a league-leading 1,793 yards in 17 games.

Entering the season, Smith ranks sixth in Ohio State history in receiving yards (2,558) and fifth in touchdown catches (27). He needs 311 yards receiving and nine TD catches to become the school's record-holder in both stats. Easy work for the 2025 first-team All-American.

Smith (6-foot-3, 223 pounds) averaged 88.2 receiving yards per game in his first two seasons with the Buckeyes. He may be even more productive in his second season with quarterback Julian Sayin, who finished with the third-highest completion percentage (77 percent) in a season in FBS history in 2025.

With Smith being a potential generational talent, one would think he'd be the betting favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft. Guess again.

Why Jeremiah Smith probably won't go No. 1 overall

Positional value determines draft decisions. WRs are important, but QBs are more valuable. Thus, no wideout has been selected No. 1 overall since the New York Jets took former USC Trojans star Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.

With the 2027 draft looking deep at the most important position, expect a QB to go No. 1 next year. As of Wednesday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives Smith the fourth-best odds to be the top pick (+1100). The three players in front of him are QBs: CJ Carr (Notre Dame Fighting Irish, +500), Dante Moore (Oregon Ducks, +360) and Arch Manning (Texas Longhorns, +185).

If he doesn't go No. 1, that shouldn't be used to undermine Smith's talents. Anyone who watches his tape knows he should be considered the best player in the game, real or virtual.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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