Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Updates Hamstring Injury Status: 'Ready to Go!'

The Seattle Seahawks have seen flashes of what made Jaxon Smith-Njigba special coming out of Ohio State, and will now be looking to get him 100 percent healthy for his rookie year.

Not many could have predicted that the Seattle Seahawks would select Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The reason was a feeling that Seattle had bigger areas they needed to address in the first round, like on the defensive line. 

The Seahawks also already had D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett out wide, both of whom were coming off a productive 1,000-yard seasons. Yet, Seattle saw the opportunity to take one of the best players available and didn't hesitate. Njigba is now two months into being a Seahawk, and all by indications is getting closer to being ready for the start of training camp.

The former Buckeye played just three games last season for Ohio State due to a hamstring injury, which even rolled over into the start of OTAs this spring with the Seahawks.

But after a ramp-up period, Smith-Njigba is getting back to his best, which came in the form of a breakout at Ohio State as a sophomore, totaling over 1600 yards and nine touchdowns, while concluding with a record-breaking 347-yard and three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl.

"I think we did it the right way," Smith-Njigba said on Tuesday about the ramp-up process. "I appreciate the training staff and the coaching staff for doing that. It's been a long time since I've really been out there since when I started OTAs, so I feel like we did it the right way, and I appreciate them just slowly building me up, and I feel like we are all ready to go and checked a lot of boxes."

Nothing proved to be more evidence of Smith-Njigba's return to nearly 100 percent than the viral clip of him going one-on-one with fellow first-round draft pick cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Smith-Njigba got the better of the No. 5 overall pick on a deep ball from Geno Smith, giving fans and coaches alike a glimpse of what they are getting in the former Buckeye.

The Seahawks have finished their mandatory minicamp, meaning the players have until the end of July before reporting back to the facility for the start of training camp. 

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