Garrett Wilson praises 'cold-blooded' Jaxon Smith-Njigba ahead of 2023 NFL draft

Garrett Wilson stands by his opinion that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best Ohio State wide receiver between himself and Chris Olave.

Talking to Yahoo Sports' Matt Harmon from Super Bowl LVII Radio Row, the former Ohio State and current New York Jets wide receiver gave people a preview of what Smith-Njigba could do in the NFL after three seasons with the Buckeyes.

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"Jaxon is a cold-blooded man, man," Wilson said. "That boy is, we call him 'The Natural.' He's got hands, he's got feet that will throw you by, make you miss. He'll do the laundry for you. Jaxon's cold, man. I'm confident that wherever he goes, he's going to make a big impact early."

Smith-Njigba tweeted that he appreciated the kind words from Wilson, knowing that both him and Olave was the kind of production he was chasing.

"Always appreciate it," he wrote. "Both you guys are the BEST though! It's fun to chase greatness."

In 2021, Smith-Njigba set school single-season records with 95 catches for 1,606 receiving yards, including a 15-reception, 347-yard day against Utah in the Rose Bowl in which he scored three touchdowns.

But in 2022, Smith-Njigba spent the majority of the season sidelined with a hamstring injury, and was limited to five receptions for 43 yards against Notre Dame, Toledo and Iowa.

Ahead of Ohio State's College Football Playoff semifinal game against Georgia, the school announced he would not play in the Peach Bowl and instead enter the 2023 NFL draft.

According to ESPN's latest mock draft by Matt Miller, Smith-Njigba is the second receiver off the board behind USC's Jordan Addison, selected by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 20 as one of three Ohio State players picked in the first round along with quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 9 to the Carolina Panthers and offensive tackle Paris Johnson at No. 13 to the New York Jets.

But based on their experience together, Wilson feels adamantly that Smith-Njigba should be the first receiver to hear his name called.

"If he's not, there's a problem, I promise," Wilson said.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline later echoed Wilson.

"At some point you're just bad at your job if you can't figure that out and you're in NFL scouting," Hartline tweeted.

Ohio State football schedule 2023

Here's what Ohio State's 2023 football schedule looks like.

• Sept. 2: Ohio State vs. Indiana, Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

• Sept. 9: Ohio State vs. Youngstown State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Sept. 16: Ohio State vs. Western Kentucky, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Sept. 23: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Oct. 7: Ohio State vs. Maryland, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Oct. 14: Ohio State vs. Purdue, Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Oct. 21: Ohio State vs. Penn State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Oct. 28: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Nov. 4: Ohio State vs. Rutgers, SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

• Nov. 11: Ohio State vs. Michigan State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Nov. 18: Ohio State vs. Minnesota, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Nov. 25: Ohio State vs. Michigan, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Garrett Wilson praises Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba ahead of 2023 NFL draft