The Seattle Seahawks added Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the hope he could take their already-strong receiving corps to another level.
On Saturday night, the 2023 first-round pick flashed some of what he brings to the table, hauling in three receptions for 58 yards against the Dallas Cowboys, including a 48-yard grab in the second quarter.
Seattle backup quarterback Drew Lock, who connected with Smith-Njigba for the big gain, joked that it was the former Ohio State star’s pregame meal that prevented him from getting all the way in the end zone.
“I was like, ‘Jax, do you normally get Chipotle before games?'” Lock said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “‘He said, ‘Nah, but I was really feeling it today.’ ‘Well, that’s why you got stopped at the 1, because you had Chipotle today instead of your normal pregame food.'”
A JSN BEAUT! 🤩
📺 #DALvsSEA on KING 5 pic.twitter.com/D3lPWaAZ4f
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 20, 2023
Jokes aside, it has to feel good for the Seahawks and their fans to see Smith-Njigba contributing so early, even if it’s only preseason.
A third-team All-American in 2021, Smith-Njigba missed almost all of the 2022 season due to a hamstring injury.
He projects to begin his career in Seattle as the team’s top slot wide receiver, with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf operating on the perimeter.