Jaxon Smith-Njigba was phenomenal for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021, but after suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of 2022, Peter King thinks his draft stock is falling.
“Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a left hamstring injury last year. He had a gigantic 2021 season at Ohio State, then played only 60 snaps in 2022, and I’m hearing some reticence about taking a guy 12th or 18th in the first round when, in a 4.5-month season, he managed to play the equivalent of one football game with a hamstring injury,” wrote King on Football Morning in America on Monday.
There’s no doubt that Smith-Njigba is an ultra-talented wide receiver, but the injury is certainly something to keep an eye on heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
“This is not an overriding negative on Jaxon Smith-Njigba, an excellent receiver prospect,” King continued. “But the Ohio State football season was five months long last year, including practice, and Smith-Njigba got a left hamstring injury early, and he played 60 snaps total in three games, and never got on the field in the last 10 weeks.
He runs a 4.48 40 [yard dash]. I’m not the only one wondering: How is Jaxon Smith-Njigba the top-rated receiver on so many boards with 10 days to go?
Smith-Njigba has been linked to various NFL teams with the draft just weeks away, including the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, among others.
It’ll be intriguing to see which team takes a chance on the talented wide receiver after an injury-shortened season in 2022.
The post RUMOR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s draft stock taking hit after injury-plagued Ohio State football season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
