Count ESPN’s Matt Bowen among those in favor of the Green Bay Packers adding Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the 2023 NFL draft.
Bowen, a former NFL safety who played two seasons for the Packers, sees Smith-Njigba as a perfect playmaker fit (subscription required) for Green Bay in this draft class.
On Wednesday, we ran down the reasons why Smith-Njigba should be a top target for the Packers in the first round, noting his talent, fit with Christian Watson and Green Bay’s need to add pass-catching playmakers around Jordan Love.
Bowen is on the same page. He believes Smith-Njigba is the “top wide receiver” in the class and would “excel as a slot target” and “produce early in his rookie season” for Matt LaFleur’s Packers offense.
“He’d run the under and crossers, hit the seams and pick up catches on slot fades,” Bowen wrote.
Smith-Njigba dominated in the slot for the Buckeyes, and the Packers don’t have a natural fit for the position with Watson and Romeo Doubs likely starters on the perimeter. Taking Smith-Njigba would give Love, LaFleur and the Packers a young, dynamic trio of wide receivers to build the passing game around in 2023 and beyond.
While limited to only three games in 2022 because of a hamstring injury, Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns during a spectacular 2021 season that featured four games with 10 or more catches, seven 100-yard games and two games with 200 or more, including a 15-catch, 347-yard bonanza in the Rose Bowl.
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