There are days when even the brightest stars at wide receiver might struggle to catch seven total passes in live team reps during a given practice.
In one OTA training session this May, Jaxon Smith-Njigba hauled in seven touchdown throws from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith – two in seven-on-seven work and five more in full 11-on-11, per ESPN's Brady Henderson.
Hype is growing around what the former Buckeye and first-round 2023 NFL draft pick can accomplish in his second year with the Seahawks, and there are plans from their coaching staff to utilize him more than he was a year ago.
“Every day I feel like my confidence is building,” Smith-Njigba said in June. “Even if I don’t score seven touchdowns, I try to tell the guys, ‘Good days, bad days, mediocre days’ – which we can’t really have, which we don’t want to have – but we have to use those days and just build to get better. Not every day is going to be like that, not every day is going to be perfect, but I can use every day to challenge myself and to be better the next day.”
If any resentment exists between former Michigan defensive coordinator turned Seattle first-year head coach Mike Macdonald and Smith-Njigba, it sure didn’t show through when Macdonald gave his thoughts on the pass-catcher. Macdonald’s year with the Wolverines overlapped with Smith-Njigba’s lone season starting at Ohio State that wasn’t derailed by injury, 2021, with UM taking down the Buckeyes 42-27.
“He's a guy that we can focus our offense around, with our guys,” Macdonald said in June. “Tyler Lockett is still a great player. DK Metcalf, phenomenal player, Noah Fant. I mean, (Smith-Njigba) is definitely going to be a massive piece of what we're trying to do offensively.”
Smith-Njigba’s accomplishments in Columbus are well-cataloged at this stage. He put on one of the best individual performances in Rose Bowl history to cap that aforementioned 2021 campaign, collecting 15 receptions to tie his own single-game school record and 347 yards to break Terry Glenn’s, adding three touchdowns. That capped a breakout sophomore season in which Smith-Njigba set new school records for receptions (95) and receiving yards (1,606).
A hamstring injury on Smith-Njigba’s first series of 2022 tanked his entire junior campaign, as he played in only a few games and caught five passes for 43 yards. He declared for the 2023 NFL draft and went 20th overall to Seattle in the first round.
More injuries hit Smith-Njigba before his rookie season. He required wrist surgery during the preseason which limited his abilities out of the gate. He caught just 12 balls for 62 yards in his first four games coming off the bench, but soon broke out in his first career start with a 63-yard day against Arizona.
In Week 15, Smith-Njigba later hauled in a game-winning touchdown on Monday Night Football to secure a 20-17 win for the Seahawks over Philadelphia. On the year, Smith-Njigba collected 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns.
"I felt like it was a good foundation," Smith-Njigba said of his first NFL season. "I can grow from it. A lot of growing pains, a lot of ups and downs, but kind of similar from first years of college and in high school. Kind of the same thing. I look forward to going into the second year after completing a good offseason and training camp and just going on from that. But last year, not making the playoffs and not winning as many games as we wanted to, that didn't sit well with me and so I'm looking for change this year."
We knew that looked familiar pic.twitter.com/4KOuZEBrUh
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 19, 2023
Smith-Njigba played primarily out of the slot at Ohio State, though that Rose Bowl game showcased his ability to move around offensive formations as he came out of the backfield on several plays against Utah. Smith-Njigba played both outside and in the slot for the Seahawks as a rookie with Lockett also playing in the slot for Seattle.
“I always felt comfortable being on the outside,” Smith-Njigba said. “I feel like it’s more of a one-on-one matchup, and I love one-on-one matchups. Being on the inside, there’s some one-on-one matchups, a lot of zone and reading the defense and sitting in the zone, which I feel like I’m pretty good at. But when it’s one-on-one or being on the outside, it’s more playground a little bit and that’s what I like. I like the challenge.”
It also helps Smith-Njigba entering his second season that he’s been able to build a year of connection with Smith, whose previously disappointing career has found new life in Seattle. He won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 following a 4,202-yard passing season. He followed that up with 3,624 more yards in 2023.
“Having a whole season with Geno, going into year two our communication is better,” Smith-Njigba said. “There’s some guys, you can get on them, you can’t get on them, and just our communication and what he wants from me is more clear than ever. And me being a year-two guy, we had a talk yesterday where I can use my voice and tell him, ‘Hey, this is what I’m seeing.’”
Metcalf and Lockett are also bank to flank Smith-Njigba at receiver. Metcalf recorded his third career 1,000-yard season in 2023 with eight touchdowns, while Lockett barely missed his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign with 79 receptions for 894 yards and five scores.
Kenneth Walker III returns as the team’s starting running back, with back-to-back 900-yard campaigns to his credit. They’ll all be under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who is fresh off a College Football Playoff championship game appearance as Washington’s offensive coordinator.
“I think the potential is to be the best offense in the league,” Smith-Njigba said. “Why not us? With the guys that we have, the running back, quarterback, offensive line getting right and of course receivers, we put a lot on our shoulders to be the best. Especially us three (starting wide receivers). That’s something we talk about a lot.”
“I think the potential is to be the best offense in the league.”– Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the ceiling of Seattle's offense
Physical training and learning Grubb’s system are Smith-Njigba’s top priorities this offseason as he prepares for an expanded role in 2024.
“During the offseason, for me, No. 1 is getting bigger, faster, stronger,” Smith-Njigba said. “I feel like I’m trending in the right direction, still got a lot of work to do in that area. Overall my whole game can just be more complete and I can be better in all ways, especially just learning the playbook right now and knowing the spots I need to hit.”
If he can put together a fully healthy season for the first time in three years, Smith-Njigba could emerge as a centerpiece of Seattle’s attack.
“JSN is a great player and expecting big things out of him,” Macdonald said. “He's had a great offseason. Works his tail off. His practice habits are awesome. Moving ability is pretty elite. I think we got a really cool plan for him.”
