The NFL Draft kicks off with its opening spherical on April 27 in Kansas Metropolis, so Rivals is looking again at its projected first-round picks after they have been highschool prospects. We transfer on to our projected No. 12 – Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njibga, who was a five-star within the 2020 class.
Smith-Njibga is yet one more alum of the Rivals Camp Sequence – making it 9 of our high 12 NFL Draft projections that competed in and helped make their title at Rivals camps.
NFL DRAFT REWIND: No. 1 Bryce Younger | No. 2 CJ Stroud | No. 3 Will Anderson | No. 4 Will Levis | No. 5 Tyree Wilson | No. 6 Jalen Carter | No. 7 Anthony Richardson | No. 8 Nolan Smith | No. 9 Peter Skoronski | No. 10 Christian Gonzalez | No. 11 Darnell Wright
No. 12: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
The place they have been ranked: After an impressive efficiency on the All-American Bowl, Smith-Njigba ended up because the fourth-best receiver within the 2020 class behind Julian Fleming, Demond Demas and Rakim Jarrett. He clearly might have made the case for No. 1 in hindsight. He was No. 20 total and third within the Texas state rankings behind RB Zachary Evans and Demas.
Recruitment: The Rockwall, Texas, receiver dedicated to Ohio State late in his junior season and at that time it was a giant pledge however he wasn’t but a five-star prospect nor a nationwide title at that stage but. A month later, then-coach City Meyer stepped down however the Buckeyes saved his dedication as neither Texas nor Texas A&M supplied.
Largest query: Smith-Njigba had an unbelievable sophomore season with 95 catches for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns. That was almost his whole faculty manufacturing, although, as he battled accidents this previous season. Can Smith-Njigba put up numbers persistently or was he a one-hit marvel?
Recollections: Smith-Njigba was prolific in highschool changing into one among only some receivers to eclipse 5,000 receiving yards in his profession. He had 15 catches for 252 yards and 6 whole touchdowns in a playoff sport in opposition to Allen. His repute, particularly in his senior season, began to construct not solely as top-of-the-line gamers regionally but additionally within the nation.
We noticed him on the Rivals 5-Star Problem in Atlanta and he ended up ninth on our listing of large receivers from that loaded occasion. He was excellent, very clean, caught all the pieces, however it wasn’t like he fully dominated on the 5-Star Problem.
Then I noticed him in pads on the All-American Bowl and anybody pushing for a five-star rating, it was simple to see why.
Smith-Njigba was by no means a bodily freak however he was simply so clean in all the pieces he did and he had that uncanny knack to get open in opposition to anybody on the sphere.
From his unimaginable manufacturing in highschool to his stable efficiency on the Rivals 5-Star Problem after which particularly his displaying in opposition to one of the best of one of the best in San Antonio, a five-star rating was so as. I’m glad we pulled the set off on it and in hindsight he ought to have been even larger.