How Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba has evolved into a WR1 talent

Ben Arthur

NFL Reporter

Editor’s note: This is the 14th installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 14 winner: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

In the Seahawks’ victory Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals, Jaxon Smith-Njigba secured one of the best catches of the NFL weekend.

Seattle faced a third-and-long late in the second period, when quarterback Geno Smith gave the second-year wide receiver a low pass over the middle. But instead of diving for it, Smith-Njigba showed impressive hand strength to snatch the ball before it could graze the ground. He turned upfield and picked up 24 yards.

Smith wishes he could’ve given Smith-Njigba a better pass.

“But that’s why he’s JSN,” Smith said of the second-year pro’s ability to make the play anyway. “He’s one of the better receivers in the league. He’s really developing into his own right now.”

The second half of the season has been his coming out party.

Smith-Njigba had five catches for a team-high 82 yards and a touchdown in Seattle’s 30-18 win over Arizona, securing the season sweep of the division rival. It marked his fifth straight game of 70-plus receiving yards, tying DK Metcalf (2020) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent (1985) for the longest single-season streak in franchise history, according to NFL Research. Smith-Njigba has also been Seattle’s leading pass catcher for six consecutive games, an impressive feat in an offense that also features Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

The former Ohio State star has a team-high 911 receiving yards, sixth in the NFL. He’s averaging 104.6 receiving yards per game since Week 9 — up from 48.5 through Week 8 this season.

“My confidence level, it’s always been the same,” Smith-Njigba said last month. “I know that I could break out and have an amazing game whenever.”

A 2023 first-round pick, Smith-Njigba had a relatively quiet rookie season, posting 63 receptions for just 628 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games. But the switch has flipped for him in Year 2, becoming a No. 1 caliber receiver in the process.

Smith-Njigba’s numbers have jumped significantly in most receiving metrics from his rookie season, including targets per game, receptions per game, yards per reception, touchdown rate, receiving first down per game, receiving success rate, receiving yards per game, catch rate, yards per target, yards before the catch per reception, drop rate and passer rating on passes when targeted.

He had 65-plus receiving yards seven times this season, including six games in a row.

He didn’t have more than 63 in any game as a rookie.

“His confidence is growing, and he can do so many great things out there,” Smith said last month. “He’s got such a feel for the game. He knows how to play and he’s so young, but he’s a professional in every sense of the word. I think as long as he continues to work the way that he does, he’s got a tremendous future. I think he can be one of the best in this game. He’s showing it, man. He’s shown it, he’s so tough. He blocks, he catches, and he runs after catch.”

Why Smith-Njigba was successful in Week 14

His effectiveness out of the slot was difficult for the Cardinals to contain. Of his five receptions, four came out of the slot for 72 yards and a touchdown.

The former first-round pick has been by far the most dominant receiver this season out of the slot. He tops the league in routes (393), targets (85), receptions (61) and receiving yards (767) out of the alignment, according to NFL Pro. His 767 yards out of the slot is 217 more than the next closest player (the Chargers‘ Ladd McConkey, 550).

Smith-Njigba has aligned in the slot on 76.4% of his snaps in 2024 in Ryan Grubb’s offense, up from 64.9% as a rookie in former coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme.

What also shows up throughout his tape against Arizona: an ability to find the soft spot against zone coverages.

“I just think the way that teams are playing us coverage wise, I feel like it’s the ultimate sign of respect. Just playing a lot of zone, dropping eight (defenders),” Smith explained. ” We don’t really get man coverage anymore. They’re not really blitzing us anymore. (Smith-Njigba) is going to be able to find those windows in there, and he does a great job finding pockets in the zone coverage. If there is a scramble situation he’s always friendly and always finds me and gets in the right spot.”

It’s part of what makes him a star on the rise.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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