Apr 16, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes Scarlett wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) during the Annual Scarlett and Gray Spring game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Football: Ohio State Spring Game
(New York, NY) — A potential Ohio State receiver duo in New York? Perhaps.
Following the blockbuster deal sending quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Jets, some are speculating that New York could bolster its array of weapons for the four-time MVP.
After striking out on a deal with Odell Beckham Jr, Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba is rumored to be on the Jets’ big board as the team prepares to pick at 15 in Thursday’s NFL draft.
According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, Gang Green has “spent considerable time and resources doing work on” Smith-Njigba.
Drafting the Ohio State product would lead to a crowded receiver room that includes Mecole Hardman, Allen Lazard, Corey Davis, and Smith-Njigba’s former Ohio State teammate, Garrett Wilson, who was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.
What is much more likely and arguably more important of a need though is offensive tackle. Duane Brown is set to turn 38 years old with the player who was supposed to replace him, Mekhi Becton, coming back from a fractured kneecap.
This leaves some experts to believe players like Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr, Georgia’s Broderick Jones, and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright are among the options the Jets could and should look at before another wide receiver.
Especially considering the Jets’ new quarterback isn’t a mobile one, with his age-40 campaign looming.
The Jets already revamped the wide receiver room this offseason by signing Mecole Hardman and Allen Lazard, which adds to a room of budding star Garrett Wilson and veteran Corey Davis
Simple put, don’t expect the Jets to select the Ohio State pass catcher Thursday evening.
