Jeremiah Smith WR Ohio State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Perimeter blocking is willing but the technique still needs refinement
• Physical press slowed him at times (held under 45 by Michigan and UCLA)
• Underneath route detail slightly lags his polished outside-breaking work

Scouting Report: Summary

There is no projection with Smith, only the question of how quickly a staff hands him the keys. The comparison that has followed him since his freshman year is Calvin Johnson, and it is no longer a reach: Todd McShay calls him the highest-graded receiver he has studied since Johnson, and Bleacher Report's scouting department gave him the highest grade it has ever issued, above Marvin Harrison Jr. A wide-alignment X who closed 2025 with 1,243 yards and 12 scores, he pairs a 223-pound frame with rare top-end speed, the combination that lets him play above smaller corners and run past bigger ones. What sets him apart is the absence of holes. He caught 87 balls in 2025 and dropped only two, tracked the deep shot as well as anyone in the class, and turned quick-game touches into 378 yards after the catch. He opened 2026 with 164 yards against Texas and sits within a catch of Ohio State's career receiving record in September of his third season. Physical press bothered him in spots last year, with Michigan and UCLA holding him under 45 yards, and his perimeter blocking is more willing than refined. Those are footnotes on a profile this complete.
There is no projection with Smith, only the question of how quickly a staff hands him the keys. The comparison that has followed him since his freshman year is Calvin Johnson, and it is no longer a reach: Todd McShay calls him the highest-graded receiver he has studied since Johnson, and Bleacher Report's scouting department gave him the highest grade it has ever issued, above Marvin Harrison Jr. A wide-alignment X who closed 2025 with 1,243 yards and 12 scores, he pairs a 223-pound frame with rare top-end speed, the combination that lets him play above smaller corners and run past bigger ones. What sets him apart is the absence of holes. He caught 87 balls in 2025 and dropped only two, tracked the deep shot as well as anyone in the class, and turned quick-game touches into 378 yards after the catch. He opened 2026 with 164 yards against Texas and sits within a catch of Ohio State's career receiving record in September of his third season. Physical press bothered him in spots last year, with Michigan and UCLA holding him under 45 yards, and his perimeter blocking is more willing than refined. Those are footnotes on a profile this complete.

He fits any scheme that wants a true X, comfortable isolated on the boundary or motioned inside for a rub. Johnson was two inches taller and his catch radius remains the standard, but Smith is the more elusive player after the catch and the more finished route runner at the same age. He is the best receiver prospect to enter the draft since Megatron, a Week 1 starter and the foundation piece of a passing game.

He fits any scheme that wants a true X, comfortable isolated on the boundary or motioned inside for a rub. Johnson was two inches taller and his catch radius remains the standard, but Smith is the more elusive player after the catch and the more finished route runner at the same age. He is the best receiver prospect to enter the draft since Megatron, a Week 1 starter and the foundation piece of a passing game.