1 NFC team giving strong look at Jaxon Smith-Njigba for draft

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is regarded as one of the best wide receiver prospects in this year’s NFL Draft, and there is one NFC team that apparently is taking a close look at him.

Multiple reporters have suggested that the Green Bay Packers have interest in Smith-Njigba. Even Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline reported that the Packers wanted to swap first-round picks with the Jets in the Aaron Rodgers trade to move closer to being able to draft the former Ohio State receiver.

Number of people tell me the move from 15 to 13 for Green Bay is the hopes it will be easier to secure Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) April 24, 2023

The Packers were set to draft at No. 15 overall and the Jets at No. 13, but they swapped spots as part of the Rodgers deal.

Smith-Njigba only had 5 catches for 43 yards last season as he hardly played due to a hamstring injury. But in 2021, he had 95 catches for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns. Plus, he has earned some high praise from some of his accomplished former Ohio State teammates.

If the Packers were to take Smith-Njigba No. 13 overall, that would represent a major surprise in one sense. The team hasn’t used a first-round pick on a wide receiver since taking Javon Walker No. 20 overall in 2002. Aaron Rodgers begged for more offensive weapons late in his Packers career, and the team still wouldn’t use a first-round pick on a receiver. If they were to finally do so the year they trade Rodgers away, that would be a huge slap in the face to their former quarterback.

Smith-Njigba is regarded as perhaps the top receiver in the draft class, though TCU’s Quentin Johnston and Boston College’s Zay Flowers have also received attention. Overall, this year’s receiver class may not be as strong as other recent ones.