Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba be a Top 10 Pick? 2023 NFL Draft Outlook

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is slated to be the first wide receiver selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, but in a generally weak wide receiver class, it's unclear whether or not he'll be a top 10 pick overall.

Five wideouts have come off the board in the top 10 over the last two drafts, but Smith-Njigba missed the majority of his junior season thanks to an injury. Heading into the 2022 college football season, he was mocked as a clear top-10 pick, but now his stock is more of a mystery.

How did Smith-Njigba play during his three-year career and will he be a top 10 pick on April 27th? Let's dive in.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba Career Review

JSN's freshman season in 2020 was uneventful (10 catches, 49 yards), but Ohio State played just eight games in a Covid-shortened season and he was behind Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jameson Williams on the Buckeyes' depth chart. However, his sophomore campaign would be electric.

While sharing a field with Olave and Wilson, Smith-Njigba caught 80 passes for 1,259 yards and six touchdowns during OSU's regular season. In the Rose Bowl against Utah (Wilson and Olave were inactive), he caught 15 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. No, that's not a typo. THREE-HUNDRED-FORTY-SEVEN YARDS.

He was injured in the season opener against Notre Dame in 2022 and played in just three games as a junior, catching five passes for 43 yards. However, his 2021 sophomore campaign was impressive enough to keep him as the top receiver in the 2023 draft class.

Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba be a Top 10 Pick?

According to MockDraftDataBase.com, which aggregates thousands of mock drafts to form a big board of prospects, Flowers ranks 11th among all prospects. That said, he could be a top 10 pick, but he may be just on the outside looking in.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba Mock Draft Data

Ultimately, any team could be in play for a wideout since the NFL features three-receiver sets more than ever, but the Chicago Bears (pick 9), Tennessee Titans (11), Houston Texans (12), New England Patriots (14), and Green Bay Packers (15) all have a glaring need at their WR1 or WR2 spots. He will likely be taken inside the first 15 picks, but there's no guarantee he's a top 10 selection in Thursday's upcoming draft.

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