Third-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) waits for the snap during the Ohio State-Toledo game Sept. 17, 2022. Ohio State won 77-21. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Edito
Former Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was selected as the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
The selection caps a decorated Ohio State career.
High expectations last season awaited Smith Njigba who was widely considered to be the best receiver in college football and a candidate to win the Biletnikoff Award — an award presented annually to the top receiver regardless of position in college football.
The former five-star recruit would be limited to only three games last season after dealing with a lingering hamstring injury versus Notre Dame on Sept. 3, 2022, that kept him out much of the remainder of the year. Smith-Njigba played only one full season at Ohio State, after playing in seven games as a true freshman during the abbreviated 2020 season due to the pandemic.
Smith-Njigba had one of the most prolific seasons of any wide receiver in college football history in 2021, breaking the Big Ten single-season receiving yards record with over 1,600 while setting a Rose Bowl record with 347 receiving yards and 15 receptions with three touchdowns.
