The Seattle Seahawks have a potential window to contend with Geno Smith, and they’re making the most of it. Their acquisition of Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft, in particular, could have notable ramifications. Could Smith-Njigba go on to become Seattle’s version of Cooper Kupp?
Seattle Seahawks Complete Their WR Room
The Seahawks entered the offseason with one of the best 1-2 punches in the entire league at WR, with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett occupying the space. All the Seahawks needed to complete their offensive attack was a high-level complementary threat between them. They got it with Smith-Njigba.
Seattle took Smith-Njigba with the 20th selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was the first receiver drafted — due in large part to his dominant 96-catch, 1,606-yard, nine-touchdown 2021 campaign with the Buckeyes.
GM John Schneider wasn’t sure the OSU WR would be available with their second first-round pick, but when he was, they practically sprinted the card in.
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“It was an easy decision just because he’s plug-and-play,” Schneider said after the draft. “With our situation, it totally made sense.”
In the wake of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seahawks’ offensive cast is coming together. Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, and Kenny McIntosh comprise a strong RB rotation. And the offensive line — with Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Evan Brown, and Abraham Lucas — is an ascending unit.
All this, and Smith-Njigba might be the most exciting offensive addition for the Seahawks this offseason. From a fantasy perspective, there is some hesitance with Smith-Njigba, who’ll lose a decent amount of targets to Metcalf and Lockett. But from a functional football standpoint, Smith-Njigba has a chance to be a true X-factor for the Seahawks.
Could Jaxon Smith-Njigba Be Seattle’s Cooper Kupp?
A few select terms come to mind when discussing Smith-Njigba’s skill set. He’s a methodical, workmanlike route-running technician. He converts with high-end consistency at the catch point. And he’s also a versatile RAC threat with his frame density and slippery brand of agility.
It’s tough to find a comp for Smith-Njigba, whose athletic profile is so unique. But when the imagination is given space to run wild, a similar profile becomes apparent in the NFC West: That of Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp.
Kupp is a little bigger than Smith-Njigba — 6’2″, 204 pounds, to Smith-Njigba’s 6’1″, 200 pounds — but their athletic profiles share some parallels. Like Smith-Njigba, Kupp lacked elite speed and explosiveness coming out, but he supplemented those areas with elite agility numbers. His 6.53 three-cone at his pro day echoed Smith-Njigba’s figure of 6.57 — with both numbers being above the 96th percentile.
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There’s a strong case to make that Kupp plays with more vertical burst and speed than his numbers indicate. But the roots of Kupp’s game aren’t dissimilar to Smith-Njigba’s. He’s an extremely smart, nuanced route runner with a strong frame, and his combination of football IQ, conversion ability, and short-area agility grants him all-encompassing scheme versatility.
For a good representation of Kupp’s versatility, look to the 2021 season, where he amassed 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns while earning All-Pro honors. That year, Kupp lined up just about everywhere. He played from the slot, both in bunch sets, stacked alignments, and in spread looks. He took reps on the boundary, and he was even schemed mismatches by lining up out of the backfield and attacking the seam.
Smith-Njigba is much more of a projection when considering versatility. He played predominantly out of the slot in 2021 alongside Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. But his short-area agility and twitch would feasibly translate in other alignments, and he has the agility and creation potential to work with space when he’s schemed open touches. And JSN is certainly as confident in his ability as anyone, saying, “There’s no ceiling for me.”
Smith-Njigba’s Immediate Production Might Not Follow, But His Impact Could
Now, it’s important to temper expectations early on, especially when a name like Kupp is brought up. Kupp was a primary receiving threat for the Rams’ offense right away, drafted a year before the Rams added Brandin Cooks to their arsenal. Smith-Njigba is being brought in as the default third option behind Metcalf and Lockett.
Nevertheless, Smith-Njigba has the tools and projected versatility to be a target funnel for Smith, who likes to operate over the middle of the field and favors efficiency above all else as an NFL quarterback. Cross-referencing the versatility aspect to the Seahawks’ offense, there’s a lot of room to get creative with Smith-Njigba underneath, while Metcalf and Lockett both stress defenses vertically with their speed.
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At this point, Smith-Njigba doesn’t quite have the play strength that Kupp has, and as good as he is as a prospect, even he isn’t at Kupp’s level yet in the technical realm. But Smith-Njigba’s profile naturally invites some flexibility. You can put him in his natural slot alignment and let him separate independently, or scheme him open touches in the short range on screens, swings, and drags from stacked formations.
Smith-Njigba, more likely than not, won’t bring the elite production right away that Kupp has become known for in recent years. There are more targets to share with in Seattle’s offense. But as a complementary threat, and as a high-level functional mismatch piece with immediate three-level slot utility, Smith-Njigba brings exactly what the Seahawks needed.