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With less than three weeks remaining until the draft, teams are likely in overdrive trying to create their NFL Draft big boards. And for their top few picks, they would very much like to have an in-person interview. There are teams that won’t end up interviewing their first pick, but it is a rarity.
One player getting plenty of attention is Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Buckeyes’ receiver has stayed on top of the consensus WR1 in the draft, though it is a close call, as many evaluators lean toward other receivers at the top.
But, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, Jim Nagy, tweeted on Monday that in his conversations with NFL higher-ups, that “numerous teams” had only one receiver with a first-round grade, and that was Smith-Njigba.
One thing has become clear on calls around league past couple weeks: NFL isn’t nearly as high on this year’s WR class as media.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 10, 2023
Frequently seeing 4-5 wideouts in mocks. Have spoken to numerous teams that have only one first round grade at the position. That guy is JSN.
If Nagy is correct, we could see multiple teams looking at Smith-Njigba as the only wide receiver they’ll be in on early in the draft, which could be a sign he goes ahead of prognostications.
As of today there have been reports of Smith-Njigba speaking with thirteen NFL teams, including the Falcons, Patriots, Texans, Packers and Bears, who all have an early enough pick to end up with the rookie receiver.