I was listening to Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman's national college football podcast, and they made a quick detour into NFL draft projections, starting with Georgia QB Carson Beck (spoiler alert: day 3 pick).
Mandel asked Feldman: where would JJ Smith go if he were draft eligible this year. Feldman paused and then said: #1. This year.
He then did a quick comp to Jamarr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Marv, Odunze and Nabors, and said Smith is bigger, stronger, as crisp and polished, and is the best of any of them. He said he thinks Smith is better than the three top-9 picks from last year's draft right now - not as a projection.
Anyway, these are not OSU homers. And I know we have listened to the OSU beat talk about it. We know he is the best freshman WR OSU has ever had. But for these guys to say, right now, freshman JJ Smith would be the first pick in the NFL draft... that's a different level.