Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023 Fantasy Football)

The NFL offseason is here (silently chuckles on the inside). Every dynasty GM knows there is no offseason. There’s the regular season, and then there is rookie fever season. If you’re like me and you’ve had a raging fever since February…the only prescription is my rookie primers. You can check them all out in our 2023 dynasty draft kit. Below I’ll take a closer look at Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a tactician.

People will knock him for his long speed BUT that’s not how he wins.

Footwork. Quickness. Route running.

Those things translate. Any team investing possible 1st round capital in him knows who they are getting.

Stacked formations. Bunch.… https://t.co/0WKdfgT6qO

— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) February 10, 2023

Stats:

2021 (251 FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 1st
- PFF receiving grade: 1st

Career
- Breakout age: 75th percentile (19.6)
- Limited to three games played in 2022 due to a hamstring injury
- In 2021, he was third among FBS wide receivers (minimum 50 targets) in receiving yards (1,595) and second in YAC (790).
- 88.6% slot rate in 2021

Scouting report:

Smith-Njigba won’t burn you in the open field with his raw speed, but that isn’t necessary for him to succeed.
He’s a route tactician with the route-running chops of an NFL veteran. Smith-Njigba’s snap at the top of his stem is excellent, which allows him to create easy separation.
Any team investing high draft capital in him knows what they are getting: a high-volume wide receiver that can work both inside and on the perimeter. Yes, Smith-Njigba was a slot receiver in college, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the intangibles to get loose on the boundary.
He wins with excellent, quick footwork at the line and in space. He’s more quick than fast. Also, in saying that, it has to be mentioned that he is plenty quick to win in the NFL.
While it’s not a huge part of his game (only 16.1% of his 2021 target volume), he can win on vertical routes. He flashes the ability to stack corners on verticals from the slot easily. Smith-Njigba was ninth in Yards per route run on deep targets, tied for first in PFF deep receiving grade, and second in passer rating when targeted on routes 20-plus yards in 2021 (minimum 15 deep targets).
Smith-Njigba could be an immediate target hog in the NFL.
He will be an immediate asset to the run game. He’s a tenacious blocker who engages well with defenders and anchors them. He won’t blow defenders out of their cleats, but he has the functional strength to hold running lanes or clear a path.

Player Comp: If Robert Woods and Keenan Allen had a baby