Big Board ranking: #10
Positional ranking: #1
Overview
Position: WR
College: Ohio State
Class: Junior
Age: 21
Measurables
Height: 6’0 5/8”
Weight: 196 lbs.
Arm length: 30 1/2″
Hand size: 9″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: N/A
10-yard split: N/A
Vertical jump: 35.0″
Broad jump: 125.0″
Bench press: N/A
3-cone drill: 6.57 sec.
Short shuttle: 3.93 sec.
Strengths
Extremely refined route runner. Phenomenal footwork. Route breaks are difficult for defenders to get a read on before they happen. Very patient and deceptive to set things up. Sinks in and out of breaks with quick cuts to create separation. Knows how to change speeds and use patience as a route runner. Deceives with head fakes and eye manipulation. Uses shake and hop releases to beat defenders clean off the line of scrimmage. Hand fights to beat press jams. Routinely gets open on underneath routes from the slot. Possesses a crossover-type break that gets defenders on their heels. Extremely instinctive player with rare spatial awareness. High football IQ. Quick to sit in holes and present a target to his quarterback versus zone coverage. Very reliable catching over the middle. Instantly secures passes thrown on the numbers. Gets his head around to instantly locate the ball. Great acceleration to get to full speed quickly. Tremendous fluidity and body control. Excellent making a play on the ball through a defender. Good ability to extend for passes in front of him. Extremely smooth transitioning from catch to run. Slippery with the ball in his hands. Has a great juke move. Very good blocker that competes to get the job done. Went off with 15/347/3 line against Utah in the 2021 Rose Bowl to set FBS yardage record in a Bowl game.
Weaknesses
Almost exclusively played in the slot at Ohio State. Top speed and explosiveness might be average. Inconsistent catching inaccurate throws off his frame. Dealt with nagging hamstring injury that led to lost 2022 season with just five receptions across three appearances.
NFL comparison
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Conclusion
Overall, Smith-Njigba is an extremely polished route runner that should be a high-end slot receiver at the next level. If he ends up in an offense that will feature him, Smith-Njigba can quickly become a star.