Seahawks make former Buckeye Smith-Njigba the 20th overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft

KANAS CITY, MO. — UPDATE @ 10:31 p.m.: The Seattle Seahawks have made former Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba the 20th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Having the name Smith-Njigba on the back of an NFL jersey “means everything to me. It means everything to my family,” he told ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber.

Smith-Njigba’s brother, Canaan, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba holds the FBS Bowl Game and Ohio State single game record for most receiving yards with 347 in the 2022 Rose Bowl. He also holds Ohio State records for most catches in a single game with 15 (twice) and most receiving yards in a single season with 1,606 during the 2021 season.

EARLIER REPORT:

Former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is the 6th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Aside from C.J. Stroud, two former Ohio State Buckeyes are expected to go in the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Wideout Jaxon Smith-Njibga and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. are at the top of their positions among prospects in this year’s draft.

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Smith-Njibga, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound five-star recruit from Rockwell High School in Texas, is expected to be one of the first receivers to come off the board.

He played three years for the Buckeyes, suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of last season, limiting him to five receptions for 43 yards.

During the 2021 season, he pulled in nine touchdowns among his 95 receptions for 1,606 yards for an average of 192 yards a game. As a freshman, he had one touchdown, with 10 receptions and 49 yards.

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Paris Johnson Jr., a five-star Cincinnati native, is expected to be one of the first offensive tackles taken in the draft.

Johnson, 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, is a versatile player who can move quickly and causes trouble for the opposing defense trying to get to his quarterback. He played in 31 games for the Buckeyes -- 26 of them consecutively between 2021-22.

Three other Buckeyes could potentially be picked in the first round, but unlikely is guard Luke Wypler, offensive tackle Dawand Jones, and Ronnie Hickman. Look for them to be picked up in rounds two through four.

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