As has been written here and elsewhere, wide receiver should not be off the table for the New England Patriots with the 14th pick in the NFL Draft.
Though offensive tackle might seem more important and certainly is a more likely course based on the Patriots' past draft history, Mac Jones needs receivers to get open for him nonetheless. If Jakobi Meyers prices himself out of New England in free agency, getting a wide receiver in the draft will become paramount.
Though scouts aren't quite as high on this year's receiver class, a few options stand out as potential first-round picks the Patriots could go after in the middle of Day 1. Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba might quietly be the best option if New England wanted to go that route.
Both ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry (following a trade-down) projected the Buckeyes pass-catcher to the Patriots in their latest mock drafts, highlighting the importance of adding juice to New England's offense.
"[Jones] would benefit greatly from Smith-Njigba, a true No. 1 wideout who knows how to get open," Kiper writes. "Smith-Njigba is coming off a season in which a nagging hamstring injury limited him to five catches total, but he led Ohio State in catches (95) and yards (1,606) in 2021. Assuming his medicals check out and his hamstring won't be an issue, he'll be my top-ranked wideout in this class."
You might remember Smith-Njigba for his record-shattering Rose Bowl performance two years ago (15 catches, 347 yards, three touchdowns) though injuries prevented him from putting up anything like that again his junior season.
He's not going to run as fast as Jordan Addison or Zay Flowers in the 40-yard dash -- that's not his game. But he's also not the big body a lot of people want in their first-round wide receivers, checking in at around a decent but not spectacular 6-1, 200 pounds.
But Smith-Njigba is simply a beast at the position.
He boasted an absurd 90 percent catch rate on contested balls in 2021 and lapped both Olave and Wilson in terms of yards per route run that year, backing up claims from the latter two that Smith-Njigba is the best of all three.
What he lacks in raw speed he makes up for in spades with detailed, smart route-running, underrated strength and quickness in the open field and some truly absurd body control that helped him pull off catches that borderline shouldn't be possible.
"Even if he is limited to being a slot receiver at the next level -- as he was in 2021 when he posted those gaudy numbers -- that carries huge value in the Bill O'Brien offense that will return to New England this year," Perry wrote of Smith-Njigba in his mock. "Mac Jones could use a high-volume target who provides 'layup' throws on a consistent basis. Especially if Jakobi Meyers ends up departing via free agency."
Taking Smith-Njigba would probably be something of a third option for the Patriots depending on who's on the board. But with the top offensive tackles looking like they might not be around at No. 14 and the Patriots badly in need of some talent at the receiver position, it's hard to find a more readymade NFL receiver in the draft than Smith-Njigba.
