'Why Jaxon Smith - Njigba?'
Height & Weight
6'1 -- 196lbs
Ascension grade
Pro-bowl ceiling
58.98 -- WR #1
High-end traits (80th percentile & up)
Separation quickness
Through break transitions
Catch concentration
Three level efficiency
In-air athleticism
Movement intellect
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Low-end traits (30th percentile & down)
Play strength & physicality
Alignment versatility
Top-end speed
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Stylistic comparison
Doug Baldwin meshed with Marvin Jones Jr.
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Projected role comparison
High target volume slot receiver & chain-mover (Amon-Ra St. Brown)
First questions asked about Smith-Njigba is can he play outside & can he beat press? Well, watch the shoulders drop with the wide-diamond shimmy at the LOS and you have your answer to the press question.
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Can he play outside?
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Now, that's a bit trickier. Vertically, he will have trouble running away from cornerbacks. Long gains are capped because of his lack of top-end speed. I envision a role more like we see with St. Brown in Detroit or Allen in Los Angeles - high volume slot receiver who is a primary target on important downs.
To reiterate - on third downs he is a primary target because of the timing of his routes and how consistently he finds soft spots in a defense.
JSN deploys a variety of skips, hops and stutters in his toolbox of releases and transitions.
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Adept at changing direction & accelerating out of whichever he deploys.
Similar post-catch skillset to what we see in-route. Simple large angle changes and timing to win when the ball is in his hands.
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Flashes big opportunity inside - defenders bites - goes opposite.
The art of timing. 'When to deploy what' This is how JSN wins all over the field and we see it time and time again.
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Simple RPO with a designed flare to JSN.
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Watch the angle changes and ability to bend path here - cool stuff to see post-catch from him. Able to also negate the contact of #44 by turning shoulders slightly towards the boundary.
We see this a ton with Tyler Lockett in Seattle who is an expert in avoiding collisions.
In terms of tracking & locating flight paths JSN is in elite company. While he may not have the vertical speed of a Quentin Johnston, he does offer teams the ability to make difficult receptions look rather routine.
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Late hands and the control to contort & adjust.
A big reason JSN is so lethal from the slot is how he can win with variety when given a two-way go.
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Has a broad toolbox he can used to slip inside or stack defenders vertically.
At the top of routes his abrupt capabilities in deceleration are a lot to handle.
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Can sink & turn instantaneously on stop patterns.
Expectations & Range of outcomes
Safest bet for early career production in this draft cycle along with Jordan Addison. Day one starter in the slot with room to grow into a true three-level role. The big questions with JSN are:
1 - Is he 100% healthy / will he ever be?
2 - Does he have the play speed to win consistently on the outside?
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I do not know the answer to either, but I feel a lot better about #2. The nature of his injury is puzzling because there had to be a good amount of tendon damage to be unable to return to play. Listening for if there was surgery involved, which would be an 'off-bone' tear - most severe type that takes up to 16 months to return to full performance.
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Capital will be a good indication of medicals, and if he checks out - he is the first receiver I am taking in dynasty drafts this Spring.