Jaxon Smith-Njigba has given the Seattle Seahawks what they’ve hoped for when they drafted him back in 2023.
According to CBS Sports’ Mike Renner, Smith-Njigba was ranked No. 4 overall in his assessment of the best first-round draft picks since 2020, based off of teams’ choices with the selections that they had.
Snith-Njigba came in just behind Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (No. 1), New England Patriots QB Drake Maye (No. 2), and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (No. 3).
JSN was selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Seahawks already had star WR DK Metcalf, as well as Tyler Lockett on their roster prior to the draft that year, both of whom went for 1,000 yards receiving the year before in 2022.
Both Metcalf and Lockett returned to Seattle in 2023, but soon departed in the following years, while Smith-Njigba won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in 2025 and helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl at the end of that season, making his draft selection a great one for the franchise.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Is Jaxon Smith-Njigba the best first-round draft selection since 2020?
