The Minnesota Vikings options in the 2023 NFL draft are widespread. Their selection at 23rd overall has a wide range of options and Luke Easterling of Draft Wire has the Vikings selecting Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Once viewed as a potential top-five selection in the 2023 NFL draft, Smith-Njigba only played in 62 snaps this past season after leading the Buckeyes in receiving with both Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson on the team.
The conundrum with Smith-Njigba is that his production came almost exclusively from the slot with 89% of his snaps coming there. He got constant free releases and was given wide open space to work with consistently.
When he gets to the NFL, it won’t be that way but he has the savvy to get open regardless. His lack of speed will be an issue for some teams but in a Kevin O’Connell offense, Smith-Njigba would likely be used in a similar way to how Cooper Kupp was in Los Angeles.
