Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith emerging as potential fit for Chargers

The 2027 NFL Draft is still months away, but you'd never know it by the buzz that's going around the NFL about which of the current college players will get scooped up by teams that are already pretty much done for the 2026-27 season.

One of the strongest college players in this class is obviously wide receiver Jeremiah Smith out of Ohio State. His numbers and highlights say it all. So far this season, he's clocked 52 receptions for 984 yards, 12 touchdowns and an average of 18.9 yards per catch.

In ESPN's 2027 NFL mock draft out on Wednesday, NFL draft analyst and fantasy football expert Field Yates names Smith as the No. 1 hottest player in the draft. He also lines him up with an NFL team that needs serious help.

The Chargers could land Ohio State's top wide receiver

In the feature, Yates sees the Los Angeles Chargers scooping Smith up. Now, this is kind of funny because Jim Harbaugh coaches the Chargers, and he obviously used to be the head coach for the University of Michigan, Ohio State's biggest rival. But you can't let that get in the way of a chance to bring on the best player in the draft.

"The Chargers don't have a single receiver in the top 50 for receiving yards per game, and they're 29th in yards after the catch," Yates notes in the piece, making a solid case that they could use a real wideout.

"Smith is the most decorated wideout in Ohio State's rich history, and he could be the Big Ten's all-time leader in receiving yards and receiving TDs as soon as Halloween against USC," Yates adds.

Yates also notes that Smith's size, at 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, as well as his "speed and force should immediately translate to the NFL." If the Chargers get that No. 1 pick, it would be hard to see them not taking Smith.