Seahawks stay at skill positions in NFL draft with Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 20
READ MORE
Seahawks Draft Coverage 2023
They didn’t pick Jalen Carter for the defense, and they didn’t find the quarterback of the future, but the Seahawks appear to have found good players.
Expand All
Pete Carroll loves drafting at skill positions.
Even while they need to upgrade their linemen and both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The Seahawks used the 20th selection in the 2023 NFL draft to select Ohio State wide receiver and renowned route runner Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Smith-Njigba caught 15 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns in a breakout Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes two seasons ago. He instantly becomes the primary option for the third receiver Seattle needs with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.
How excited is he to play with Lockett and Metcalf.
“SUUU-per excited. Super excited,” Smith-Njigba said. “Big fan of those guys. For me to be in that room, I know how I am. That’s just going to push me to compete harder and find my way amongst those guys.
“I’m looking forward to lining up with them.”
His fit with Seattle
The Seahawks wanted more options for returning Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith to throw to on third downs and in the red zone, inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Those two situations are key to winning all the close games Seattle plays. The Seahawks have been inconsistent-to-poor in those situations over recent seasons.
With team chair Jody Allen in the draft room overseeing the plan John Schneider and Carroll briefed her on this week, the general manager and coach again bypassed top defensive linemen and edge pass rushers that were available. That included Nolan Smith of Georgia and Myles Murphy from Clemson.
Smith-Njigba was at the draft in Kansas City. His family — mother, father, brother, grandmothers, friends from home — was at his side when Carroll and Schneider called him to inform he was Seattle’s newest receiver.
“It was awesome. I was in there sweatin’ a little bit,” he said on the telephone from Kansas City. “But I knew I’d talked to Seattle and really liked them, and I thought they really liked me. So it was really overwhelming.”
Carroll and the Seahawks met with Smith-Njigba at Ohio State’s pro day in Columbus last month. It was there Carroll told the wide receiver about the hard-working, players-first, fun-off-the-field culture the 71-year-old coach has in Seattle.
“I know it’s a hard-working, gritty team,” Smith-Njigba said. “Kind of the culture that Pete Carroll said when we met kind of fits who I am, and my standards and what I believe in.
“I think it’s an awesome fit. It’s an awesome opportunity, and I’m so excited that they called my name.
“I know they won’t regret it.”
Asked for his best skill, Smith-Njigba said flatly: “I get open.”
“I just like catching the ball and making plays,” he said. “Being close to the quarterback and having him know you are reliable.
“I’m excited. I’m excited to go out there with Geno and put on a show.”
Another top pick at receiver
This is the second time in three drafts Seattle has used its first choice on a wide receiver.
The Seahawks had been trying Dee Eskridge in that role for two seasons since making him their initial pick in the 2021 draft, in round two. But the smaller Eskridge hasn’t been able to stay on the field. He’s been injured most of his two years with Seattle.
The Seahawks pick a lot of wide receivers, but rarely early. Smith-Njigba is the Seahawks’ first wide receiver selected in round one since Koren Robinson in 2001.
The 6-foot-1, 196-pound Smith-Njigba set Ohio State records in the 2021 seasons with 95 catches and 1,606 receiving yards.
Last September, he injured his hamstring in the Buckeyes’ 2022 opener against Notre Dame. He played in two more games for OSU, finishing with five receptions for 43 yards.
“He has had such a major impact here in Columbus, on and off the field, in a relatively short period of time,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters in Columbus late last season.
That was when the Buckeyes decided Smith-Njigba wouldn’t play in their Peach Bowl national semifinal game against Georgia.
Earlier in round one, the Seahawks drafted cornerback Devon Witherspoon from Illinois at fifth overall. He was the first cornerback Seattle drafted in round one since Kelly Jennings in 2006.
Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba are the 31st and 32nd cornerbacks and wide receivers combined Carroll and Schneider have selected in 14 drafts running the Seahawks. They have taken 18 wide receivers and 14 cornerbacks.
This story was originally published April 27, 2023 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Seahawks stay at skill positions in NFL draft with Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 20."
.JPG)
