Jets Country

OSU Reunion? ESPN Mock Draft Has Jets Picking Garrett Wilson's Former Teammate in First Round

In a mock draft from Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, New York picks Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round.

Max Goodman

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Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were a force to be reckoned with when they were teammates at Ohio State, both hauling in more than 1,000 receiving yards during the 2021 season. 

With Smith-Njigba set to be available in the 2023 NFL Draft, those two former Buckeyes could share a wide receiver room once again, this time while donning green and white. 

In a mock draft produced by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. on Wednesday, the Jets selected Smith-Njigba with the No. 13 pick in the first round. 

As much as New York needs help on the offensive line, Kiper explained that this star-quality wideout can help elevate the Jets' offense right away, a unit that will probably have a different leader under center in 2023 as well.

Here's Kiper's analysis:

I thought about an offensive lineman here, but let's instead reunite my top-ranked receiver in this class with my top-ranked receiver in the 2022 class. The Jets picked Garrett Wilson at No. 10 last April, and he had 83 catches for 1,103 yards as a rookie. But in 2021, his teammate Smith-Njigba was the Buckeyes' top wideout, as he put up 1,606 yards, doing damage mostly out of the slot. After an injury-plagued 2022 in which he caught just five passes, however, there are big questions about his health -- he had a nagging hamstring injury -- headed into the draft.

I'm a big fan of Smith-Njigba, and I think he could be a star in the right situation. New York likely will have a new starting quarterback in 2023, and that passer will have to get support around him. This offense has a chance to be much improved. The Jets had a stellar draft last year; Smith-Njigba would be a great start for this one. And yes, I know, this makes it back-to-back top-15 picks on receivers for the Jets, but Smith-Njigba is worth it because of what he and Wilson can do together.

For the rest of Kiper's mock, click here and head over to ESPN. 

Last year, the Jets picked Wilson with the No. 10 overall pick. He had a remarkable rookie season, racking up 1,103 receiving yards on 83 receptions with four touchdowns in 17 games.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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