Geno Smith convinced Seahawks to draft Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 'You can tell how special he is'

Smith was the driving force behind Seattle adding Smith-Njigba

The Seattle Seahawks have one of the most impressive wide receiver trios in the NFL, and the group hasn't played a down together yet. Seattle, already having one of the best duos in the league with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, decided to select Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round and added to their wealth at the position. 

How did Smith-Njigba get to Seattle? Geno Smith made sure the Seahawks brought him into the fold. 

"I was actually training with one of my boys and I was watching his highlights. And I texted Pete (Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll) 'Man we gotta draft this guy,'" Smith said on NFL Network this week. "And we ended up getting him. I was so happy.

"Just having him as part of that wide receiver group with DK and Tyler and being part of that offense, you can tell how special he is  as a player. He's really gonna bring that added dimension to our offense. I'm just happy that we got him." 

Smith-Njigba only played three games last season after suffering a hamstring injury, which affected his draft stock. He still was arguably the top receiver heading into the draft, and he was the first wide receiver taken. 

The 2021 season was what lifted Smith-Njigba to prominence. He led Ohio State with school-record totals of 95 receptions (fifth-most in Big Ten history) and 1,606 receiving yards, breaking the Big Ten receiving yards record (1,545 yards, Lee Evans in 2021). Smith-Njigba accomplished this feat despite playing with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. He also set Rose Bowl records with 347 receiving yards and a school-record 15 receptions, finishing with three touchdowns and being named offensive player of the game. 

Smith-Njigba will get to be the third wide receiver again with Lockett and Metcalf on the outside, giving Smith an excellent trio of pass catchers to target. The stakes are high for Smith as a result. 

"The mindset is to get better," Smith said. "I still felt like I could have done a lot of things better. Everything for me was about improving, just focusing on consistency, working hard, and trying to make this thing gel."