Seahawks 1st-round pick to undergo surgery

Seattle Seahawks rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba is set to undergo surgery for an injury he suffered in Saturday’s preseason game.

Smith-Njigba, an exciting wide receiver prospect out of Ohio State, broke a bone in his wrist while nearly scoring in the second quarter of Seattle’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

A JSN BEAUT! 🤩

📺 #DALvsSEA on KING 5 pic.twitter.com/D3lPWaAZ4f

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 20, 2023

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says Smith-Njigba is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Seahawks’ first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke a bone in his wrist on the play in which he almost scored Saturday night. He will have it surgically repaired today in Philadelphia. https://t.co/C7oTkoBv94

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2023

A timetable for Smith-Njigba’s absence has not yet been established, but Schefter says it is possible that JSN returns for the start of the regular season on Sept. 10.

Smith-Njigba was the No. 20 overall pick by Seattle. He was the first wide receiver selected in the draft and began a run on receivers, as he was the first of four consecutive wide receiver picks (Quentin Johnson, Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison were the others).

Much is expected of Smith-Njigba, who has been deemed by some as the most talented Buckeyes receiver over the last decade. That is some high praise considering Ohio State also has put out Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave among others.

Smith-Njigba is part of a talented group of wide receivers in Seattle that also includes D.K. Metcalf and Taylor Lockett.