ESPN Ranked Jaxon Smith-Njigba Third. That Says More About the Rankings Than the Player.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba just put up one of the best seasons a wide receiver has ever had. League-leading 1,793 receiving yards. Offensive Player of the Year. A Super Bowl ring — Seattle’s first in a decade. And when ESPN released its annual wide receiver rankings this week, they slotted him at No. 3.

Behind Ja’Marr Chase. Behind Justin Jefferson. Two guys who spent January watching from home while JSN was catching passes in the Super Bowl.

That’s not a knock on Chase or Jefferson, both elite. But it raises a fair question: what does a wideout have to do to be No. 1 around here?

The anonymous vote that stung

ESPN polled league executives, coaches and scouts for these rankings. One anonymous coordinator compared Smith-Njigba to Cooper Kupp’s ridiculous 2021 season, then added a backhanded qualifier: He’s not the elite outside player those top guys are.

Here’s the problem with that take. Smith-Njigba lined up out wide on more than 80% of his snaps last season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. And from that alignment he produced a league-high 10.9 yards per target with a 0.6% drop rate. That’s not a slot-only guy. That’s a primary outside receiver who happens to be surgical underneath too.

Fowler also noted a common refrain from voters: When game-planning, Smith-Njigba doesn’t strike fear in coaches like some others do. Maybe not. But his 44% share of Seattle’s total receiving yards suggests defensive coordinators should be scared anyway.

What the ring changes

Smith-Njigba joins exclusive company with his 2024 campaign. Only three other players have led the league in receiving yards and won the Super Bowl in the same year: Kupp (2021), Jerry Rice (1989 and 1994) and Drew Pearson (1977). That’s it. That’s the list.

The Seahawks lost running back Kenneth Walker III to Kansas City in free agency, which means Smith-Njigba’s role is only getting bigger. More targets. More attention from defenses. And if he replicates last year’s numbers, the argument for No. 1 becomes impossible to dismiss.

Chase is still the explosive threat. Jefferson is still the volume king. But Smith-Njigba just proved he can be both while winning the whole thing. ESPN can rank him wherever they want. The hardware says something different.