Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the most agile player at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
The former Ohio State receiver proved that on Saturday by running the 20-yard shuttle in 3.93 seconds and 3-cone drill in 6.57 seconds, both the fastest times among all players who participated in those drills at this year’s combine.
6.57 on the 3 cone is ELITE.@jaxon_smith1 | @OhioStateFB
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The second-fastest wide receiver in both drills – Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas – was .19 seconds slower in the shuttle and .28 seconds slower in the 3-cone drill. The second-fastest players in both drills was Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents, who ran a 4.05-second 20-yard shuttle and a 6.63-second 3-cone drill.
Smith-Njigba’s 20-yard shuttle time was the fourth-fastest by any wide receiver at the combine since 2007, while his 3-cone drill time was the 12th-fastest in that same span.
Both of those drills test a player’s ability to change directions quickly, so it should come as no surprise that Smith-Njigba posted elite numbers in both. It was that same agility that made Smith-Njigba so hard to cover during his record-setting 2021 season at Ohio State, when he caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards to break school records in both categories.
Coupling his agility drill times with an excellent receiving workout in which he caught every pass thrown his way, Smith-Njigba proved he was fully recovered from the hamstring injury that sidelined him in 2022 and made his case for being the best wide receiver in the 2023 NFL draft even though he didn’t run the 40-yard dash.
