Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s childhood wasn’t limited to playing organized football and also hanging around with other neighborhood kids. He also used to set-up make-believe football situations in his living room, complete with obstacles around the house and pillows on the faux sideline to break his fall when he made acrobatic catches. Between that and constant athletic training by his father, former Stephen F. Austin linebacker Maada Smith-Njigba, it’s no surprise that Jaxon made varsity as a freshman at Rockwall High School, about 30 minutes northeast of Dallas and around 40 miles away from AT&T Stadium.

It wasn’t until his junior year when he got on the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex map, leading all high-school players with 97 catches for 1,828 yards and 20 touchdowns. He bested all of those numbers as a senior, going for a 104-2094-35 stat-line, earning him both the Landry Award for being the best football player in North Texas and the Texas Gatorade Football Player of the Year Award. By the time he won these, he had landed a five-star composite rating from 247Sports and was considered the fifth-best WR prospect in the class. He also had committed to Ohio State.

As a sophomore, Smith-Njigba led all Buckeyes with 1,606 receiving yards, which is particularly notable since he was teammates that season with top NFL draft picks Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave (and future draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr.). He finished that season earning Rose Bowl MVP honors thanks to his 15 catches for a whopping 347 yards and three touchdowns. The 347 yards were Rose Bowl and Ohio State single-game records. Smith-Njigba also caught 95 passes that season, setting a single-year school record over the likes of Wilson, Olave, Parris Campbell, David Boston, Curtis Samuel, Terry Glenn, Michael Thomas and Cris Carter. Smith-Njigba played in two bowl games. His junior year was cut short by a hamstring injury.

Age as of Week 1: 21 | Height: 6-foot-0 1/2 | Weight: 196 | Hand size: 9.0 | 40-time: 4.53

Comparable body-type to: Amon-Ra St. Brown

We’re breaking down everything you need to know about Young from a Fantasy manager perspective, including best fits, Dynasty outlook, measurables, scouting report, key stats and an NFL comparison.

Dynasty outlook

We often talk about receivers who need good quarterbacks in order to fulfill their Fantasy potential — Smith-Njigba has made enough dazzling plays in college (and high school) to suggest his skill-set will make his quarterbacks look better than they are. He’s a refined, well-rounded receiver who should see terrific volume. He’s also just 21, so there’s a shot he’ll help Fantasy managers for a long time as well as right away in 2023. Expect him to get taken between second and fifth overall in every one-QB rookie-only draft, and potentially as soon as fifth overall in Superflex/two-QB formats. 

Best realistic Fantasy fits

Houston Texans

Expected to be armed with a young, quality quarterback, the Texans would utilize Smith-Njigba as their top target immediately in an offense that prioritizes putting nuanced receivers in position to make plays after the catch. He wouldn’t take outside snaps away from Nico Collins (at least not to start) and could mix and match in the slot with a hopefully healthy John Metchie. More importantly, Smith-Njigba would quickly evolve into the team’s go-to receiver and potentially be on the other end of 140 targets as soon as 2023.

New York Giants

Combining the creativity of Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka’s play-calling with Smith-Njigba’s traits is exactly what Daniel Jones needs. The thinking is that Smith-Njigba’s great hands and precise route-running would push him into the immediate No. 1 receiver role in New York and line up everywhere. If he’s as good as we think, he could contend for over 120 targets and make a huge impact.

Carolina Panthers

Like Houston, Carolina will have an electric new quarterback. And like Houston, Carolina needs a reliable top target for said quarterback. But unlike Houston, the Panthers have some salvageable pass-catchers already in place and have a potentially great defense that could shorten games and eliminate the excessive pass volume we’d want. Not that the Panthers would be a bad option since 110 targets could still be on the table, plus the chances of a long-standing connection with a young passer carries appeal.

New England Patriots

How many times have we fawned over Bill Belichick’s slot receivers? Smith-Njigba would be the one with the best pedigree coming into the league, and could immediately serve as the best target for an accurate short and intermediate passer like Mac Jones. Jakobi Meyers averaged 6.9 targets per game in 2022 and 7.4 in 2021 — Smith-Njigba would have a shot to top that, even with JuJu Smith-Schuster already in the fold.

Next-best Fantasy fits: Arizona, Green Bay, Baltimore, L.A. Chargers
Least-appealing Fantasy fits: Indianapolis, Cleveland, Tennessee

Scouting report

Strengths

• Long arms are perfect to help reel in off-target throws.
• Consistently got defensive backs flat-footed with a garden variety of jukes, hesitations, and subtle nuance off the snap to easily create leverage and quickly become an open target. Footwork is well-practiced. Body control is tremendous.
• Good burst and acceleration helps his elusiveness.
• Especially quick at changing directions both in his routes and after the catch to evade tacklers.
• A lot of experience running shorter routes but did have success running deeper out routes and fades.
• Strictly good speed but somehow found his way to plenty of long catch-and-run touchdowns versus collegiate competition.
• Fearlessly made his fair share of close-quarter contested catches but seemed to especially flourish finding soft spots to exploit versus zone coverage. Seemed to know exactly when and where to change gears and find a spot to get targeted.
• Vibed with quarterback on improvisational plays. Clearly knew when to break off a route and do what his quarterback liked to get open and earn a target. 
• Hands were terrific. Seemed to catch everything in stride.
• Adjusts wonderfully to off-target throws, flashing great concentration in locating and contorting his body to be in position to make the grab (even when he has to stretch around the hip of a defender!)

• Already a pro at tracking downfield throws over his shoulder.

• Playmaking ability after the catch was not just limited to gliding away from defense but also from willing to be physical with defenders for extra yardage.
• Willing, “good enough” blocker with flashes of excellence. Needs a little work here to be more consistent but can get the job done.
• Teammates raved about him, calling him the best receiver on the team. 

Concerns

• Had just one excellent year at Ohio State. 
• Has some girth, but is pretty average-sized.
• Was schemed into free releases plenty of times and had free releases by the grace (or stupidity?) of opposing defenses often. Very limited experience dealing with press coverage in the Big Ten. Could get tested physically by opponents, especially since his speed isn’t to be feared.
• Rarely lined up anywhere except the slot. Ran 83 routes from out wide and two from the backfield over 23 games (three seasons and 506 pass routes run). His route-running suggests he’ll be solid as an outside receiver, but he wasn’t put there enough at Ohio State to offer overwhelming evidence. Being blocked for that role by faster receivers in college was a huge factor.
• Occasionally tipped his routes with his head movements.
• Strictly good speed and isn’t a burner. Expect him to get caught from behind when coverage isn’t busted or he’s not schemed wide open.
• Appears to have suffered a serious hamstring injury in 2022, one that cost him playing time in a couple of games and ultimately cost him all but three games. Hamstring injury lingered into NFL Combine, where he didn’t run the 40-yard dash. He did run his 40 at his Pro Day in late March (4.53).

Stats breakdown

Advanced stats to know

• Five or more receptions in 10 of 13 games in 2021. Had nine-plus receptions (and 105-plus yards) in each of final five.
• Among 132 qualifying WRs with at least 75 targets in 2021, Smith-Njigba was top five in catch rate (84.8%), yards per route run (4.05) and yards per game (123.5).
• Among those same qualifying WRs in 2021, Smith-Njigba was top 12 in receptions (95), YAC/reception (8.32) and tackles avoided (19). Each of these stats were either on-par or higher than Garrett Wilson’s.
• 5.4% drop rate in 2021, 80th among qualifying wide receivers.
• Wasn’t quite as prolific when in the red zone, though limited opportunities were a factor. He was outside the top-30 in red-zone catch rate (69.2%), and touchdowns (three).
• Ran just 25 routes on 59 Ohio State pass plays inside of 10 yards in games he participated in over two-plus seasons.
• Played only 62 snaps (three games) in 2022.

NFL comparison

Smith-Njigba should be a reliable receiver at the pro level. He’s ahead of most rookies when it comes to his technique and nuance, and though he’s undersized and not a straight-line speedster he made plays like crazy in 2021 while working alongside three other great young wideouts at Ohio State. I think he’ll at least be as effective as Amon-Ra St. Brown with the sky-high ceiling to fool us all and be at the level of Justin Jefferson, who, like Smith-Njigba, was pigeon-holed as a slot receiver without playmaking speed as a prospect before running rampant in the pros.