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After Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba announced earlier this week that he would miss his team’s matchup against Georgia in the College Football Playoff with a hamstring injury—and subsequently ending his college career by declaring for the NFL draft—ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay reported that Smith-Njigba’s decision would be criticized by NFL scouts. Now, the star wideout’s family has issued a scathing response for McShay.
McShay reported that scouts would question whether or not Smith-Njigba was actually too injured to play, and that he’s simply “protecting” himself to be healthy for the draft.
“There are a lot of reports from NFL scouts that I’ve talked to [who] said he’s healthy enough to play and he’s protecting himself for the draft,” McShay said. “I got news for every prospect out there: NFL teams know. They know what you had for lunch last Thursday,” he continued. “They’re gonna know whether you’re healthy or not and if you’re healthy enough to play, you need to be out there with your teammates and play.”
On Wednesday, Smith-Njigba’s father and brother took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with McShay’s report, insisting that he still has “limitations” and disparaging McShay for insisting otherwise.
“Being (with) my son yesterday for his first day of rehab and seeing his limitations for myself gave me peace (with) our families (sic) choice to get my son healthy,” Smith-Njigba’s father, Maada, wrote. “Encouraging him (to) play would be selfish and abusive. I’m at peace (because) I know he’s in the right hands (for) recovery.”
Smith-Njigba has been to just three games this season due to the hamstring injury, with five receptions. As a sophomore in 2021, he totaled 95 catches for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns. McShay projected that he would be taken in the late first or early second round.
