This class is filled with talent and will bring great value to your dynasty squad for the foreseeable future. Dave Heilman (@DynastyDorks) and I (@FFBourbonDude) will discuss the following Wide Receivers, and if you’re interested in listening in to our initial pre-combine breakdowns, follow the links below.
Our pre-draft consensus rankings are as follows:
This write-up is about our consensus number two Wide Receiver in the 2023 rookie class, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. So let’s get into it.
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba – NFL Rookie Draft and Dynasty Watch
Background
JSN was a 5-star recruit who committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes and saw little playing time in 2020. In 2021 however, the script flipped. While sharing the field with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, he had 95 catches for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns.
Height – 6’0″
Weight – 196 pounds
College Career
JSN showed how elite he could be in 2021, but injuries derailed him in 2022. He started off slow with stats lines of 2 catches for 3 yards, two for 33 yards, and one for 7 yards before a hamstring derailed the remainder of his college season.
| Rec | Yards | TD | YPC | Dominator | |
| 2020 | 10 | 49 | 1 | 4.9 | 14.2% |
| 2021 | 95 | 1,606 | 9 | 16.9 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 43 | 0 | 8.6 |
WR Pros
Quickness
JSN has the quickness that WR coaches will love. He can quickly get in and out of breaks, which will likely translate well at the next level.
Release
Using his quickness, he is able to get off of press coverage. This also bodes well for him at the top of his routes.
JSN had too many highlights to count. 💥
We asked the WR to rank his 5️⃣ favorite plays from his @OhioStateFB career ⤵️. pic.twitter.com/1Rwce1kzZ8
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 5, 2023
Separation
The above two attributes and his route running show how good JSN is at creating separation. This should translate to the next level, regardless of his lack of top-end speed.
WR Cons
Speed
He definitely has enough speed to be a big play threat, but he won’t run away from guys.
Production
I am always hesitant about a single year of production, especially when it comes from the slot with two additional first-round wide receivers on the team.
Slot
JSN caught 92% of his catches in the slot in 2021. Teams may deploy him as a big slot which isn’t a huge deal but could limit his volume.
