The perfect pick for the Chicago Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft
By Ryan Olson
How good of a fit is Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the Chicago Bears?
What the Bears have been lacking for roughly two seasons now, and especially in the Justin Fields era, is a true slot receiver that is a quarterback’s best friend. This is exactly what Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s role will be in the NFL. JSN ran every route at the college level and was a great technician inside of the high-powered Ohio State offense. Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney are good receivers, but both are big-play playmakers and will never be that slot receiver type role that the Bears need.
The Chicago Bears have also lacked some YAC (yards after the catch), and haven’t had a player who produces in that area since Tarik Cohen was healthy. YAC is another strong suit of Smith-Njigba. He has shown great body control and a knack for getting yards after the catch with his great vision and low center of gravity that makes him tough to tackle.
Smith-Njigba and Justin Fields were college teammates during the 2020 season at Ohio State. Justin Fields has also liked some tweets on Twitter defending JSN’s character after it was questioned after opting out of some playoff games. It is safe to assume Smith-Njigba earned Fields’ respect as a teammate in their brief year at Ohio State.