Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba has gradually established himself as one of the NFL’s elite wide receivers, making his high placement across post-2025 season rankings well deserved. As the 2026-27 season draws closer, Pro Football Network released its version of the NFL Top 100 players list, with Smith-Njigba earning a spot among the league’s top three wide receivers.
PFN Crowns Jaxon Smith-Njigba One of NFL’s Best Wide Receivers After Super Bowl-Winning Season
Smith-Njigba’s massive 2025 season was hardly unexpected, as he had been gradually developing into one of the NFL’s elite receivers. After helping lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title, he landed at No. 13 on PFN’s Top 100 players list and was ranked as the league’s third-best wide receiver.
“The way that Jaxon Smith-Njigba has progressed each year should have Seahawks fans incredibly excited about what’s left to come in his young NFL career,” the PFN report says. “He was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2025, leading the league with 1,793 receiving yards and placing third with 119 receptions among wide receivers. His 93.7 PFN WR Impact Score ranks ninth among all wide receiver seasons since 1999.”
Smith-Njigba first made his name at Ohio State with his polished route running before the Seahawks selected him 20th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. He recorded 63 catches for 628 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns in his rookie season, but it just offered a glimpse of the star he would soon become.
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Smith-Njigba took a massive leap forward in his second season in 2024, recording 100 catches for 1,130 yards and 6 touchdowns, before another magnificent season in 2025.
It is safe to say that Smith-Njigba has firmly established himself as a phenomenal receiver due to his reliability and continued development, which is why PFN believes his potential is incredible.
“Year over year, Smith-Njigba has improved in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and yards per catch since entering the league in 2023,” the PFN report added. “Still just 24 years old, he’s proven that he’s an elite separator with tremendous ball skills, great hands, and the spatial awareness needed to work his way open against any coverage looks in the book.”
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Questions once surrounded whether Smith-Njigba could handle the responsibilities of being Seattle’s top receiving option, but he erased those doubts by forming one of the NFL’s most dangerous quarterback-receiver duos with Sam Darnold last season. With new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury taking over, Smith-Njigba is expected to remain the centerpiece of Seattle’s passing attack.
Smith-Njigba’s rise has also inspired younger receivers, as Miami Hurricanes star Malachi Toney recently said he studies and models his game after the Seahawks star.
In PFN’s receiver rankings, Smith-Njigba trails only Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams.
Chase claimed the No. 2 spot after another outstanding season that included 125 receptions despite playing much of the year without his starting quarterback. Nacua earned the top ranking after leading the league in receptions while also posting an NFL-best 115.7 receiving EPA and a league-leading 96.3 PFN WR Impact Score.
