Player: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
School: Ohio State
Measurables:
- Height: 6”1
- Weight: 200
- 40:
- Bench:
- Vertical Jump:
- Broad Jump:
- 3 Cone:
- 20 Yard Shuttle:
- Other Notes:
Graded Wide Receiver Traits:
- Durability: 4/10 (It is hard to give him a good grade here. He was constantly nagged by injuries this year and only recorded stats in 3 games. Thus creating only one season of a full workload
- Hands: 9/10 (JSN has pretty reliable hands especially when in contested catches and tracking deep throws)
- Release: 6/10 (Super disappointed here. Slow coming out of release far too many times. Does use stutter steps when pressed to get free but just does not explode out of the gate)
- RAC Ability: 6/10 ( He tries at least, but the lack of burst and suddenness makes it difficult to effectively juke high level defenders)
- Route Running: 7/10 ( Ran a decent route tree but they are more rounded and not sudden. While this could be by design you also want to see examples where he cuts sharp and does not look stiff)
- Speed: 6/10 (Seems like a super average athlete. His speed is just so so as he rarely separates on underneath routes using speed and does not seem to possess that extra gear to breakaway after the catch)
- Strength: 7/10 (Has decent play strength to push through contact. Also can hold his own with contested catches)
- Versatility: 6/10 (He may be able to play outside in different occasions but we see him settling down in a slot role due to speed limitations)
Prospect Grade: 51/80; 64% ( Potential Starter)
Projected Draft Day: Late 1
Player Comparison: Juju Smith-Schuster
Player Summary: It is hard to predict how JSN will be viewed by scouts after basically missing all of this season. While he has incredibly reliable hands, good play strength, and is not bad in any area, he also seems to lack certain athletic ability that hurts multiple areas of his game. His athletic testing at the combine may be very disappointing for scouts. If it is decent and we are wrong his grade will change, but we will not be surprised if he tests similarly to JuJu and plays in a similar role.