Many around the NFL world were surprised that former Ohio State standout wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was available for the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 20 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Seahawks rookie showed what he is capable of with a one-handed catch in practice on Thursday that has gone viral.
Smith-Njigba comes to the Seahawks with a ton of hype following his decorated career at Ohio State. While he obviously hasn’t gone up against NFL competition in a live game just yet, he certainly turned heads on Thursday.
The Seahawks posted a clip on social media of Smith Njigba’s ridiculous catch, going up with one hand and snagging a pass from Geno Smith with one hand in between two defenders.
JSN WITH AN UNREAL ONE-HAND GRAB 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IhPjbRX89p
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 27, 2023
Fans certainly took notice of this catch, and are hoping that this is a sign of things to come once Smith-Njigba faces other NFL teams.
Y’all have seen nun yet.
— Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) July 27, 2023
Yeah i've seen enough, we're winning it all
— Oli (@olimaitlandd) July 27, 2023
Jaxon Smith-Njigba really fell to the #Seahawks at No. 20 in the draft…
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 27, 2023
Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a ridiculous grab pic.twitter.com/W3yguXCf9m
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) July 27, 2023
Jaxon Smith-Njigba gonna mess around and lead the Seahawks in targets right from the jumppic.twitter.com/7CUguubjJv
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) July 27, 2023
Jaxon Smith-Njigba 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/Wuecu3qmVA
— Hutchinson Brown (@hutchinsonb_ff) July 28, 2023
This is obviously just one play, but it seems like Smith-Njigba had impressed in a big way throughout his first offseason. Fellow Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf offered some bold praise for the rookie receiver, saying that he is “going to be special”.
“He’s gonna make a lot of plays for us this year, and I just can’t wait for everybody to see what he does in training camp and for him to experience the 12’s and 80,000 fans screaming at him every time he scores a touchdown,” Metcalf said during an appearance on the Brock and Salk Show on Seattle Sports Radio. “He’s going to be very special for us in this offense.”
What did @Seahawks WR @dkm14 have to say about heading into Training Camp this season? What's it like to be in a leadership role on this team? Who made that tuxedo he was wearing at @TDLockett12's wedding? He answers that & much more in the exclusive @SeattleSports interview. pic.twitter.com/HWBW2DES0Z
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) July 26, 2023
So far it seems like Metcalf is right and that Smith-Njigba is indeed on track to being a very special player in his rookie season.
