Seahawks Legend Offers High Praise for Wide Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has shown the NFL his potential, and it’s impressed one of the best Seattle Seahawks players of all-time.

Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-champion running back and podcast host who contributes to Prime Video’s NFL coverage, raved about Smith-Njigba’s progress after two straight impressive performances this year.

Smith-Njigba is second in the NFL in receiving yards through two weeks (227), behind only Malik Nabers of the New York Giants, and he has posted consecutive eight-plus-catch, 100-plus-yard performances in Seattle’s 1-1 start.

Smith-Njigba, who the Seahawks chose from Ohio State with the 20th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, will try to stay hot with quarterback Sam Darnold when they take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

What Did Marshawn Lynch Say About Jaxson Smith-Njigba?

Lynch started his career with the Buffalo Bills before making his name and cementing himself as one of the best running backs in NFL history in the Pacific Northwest.

So the fact Smith-Njigba has ascended to the status of a bona fide No. 1 receiver, and one of the top wideouts in the game, is impressive to Lynch, considering JSN is still only five months away from his 24th birthday.

“I like where he’s going considering he’s still young,” Lynch told The Escapist Magazine. “When it clicks for him as a true professional, he’s going to be something to deal with, because he’s already a problem now. When you step into that arena and you can play that game in slow motion physically and mentally, that’s how you separate yourself.”

When asked if Lynch considers Smith-Njigba one of the best wideouts in the game, the running back pointed to his superb start, which comes on the heels of his 100-catch, 1,130-yard second season for Seattle in 2024.

“If you just look at the numbers, the numbers prove that,” says Lynch of Smith-Njigba.

Lynch said Smith-Njigba’s best attribute is “his ability to get open.” But even though Smith-Njigba doesn’t yet have a touchdown this season, Lynch is sure the wideout will keep improving and put himself higher on the list of the NFL’s top receivers.

“He’s already putting himself in those conversations,” Lynch said. “You get a little bit more seasoning on him, and then it will be undeniable.”

Who Is The Seahawks No. 3 Receiver?

That Smith-Njigba has balled out through two weeks is great for the Seahawks, since he and No. 2 receiver Cooper Kupp are the only wideouts with more than 100 yards through the first two weeks of the year and are two of just three Seahawks receivers with at least one catch this season.

Kupp and Smith-Njigba have combined for 26 of Darnold’s 38 completion this year and 35 of his 52 targets, even though neither has a TD catch.

Though Tory Horton has caught one of Darnold’s two TD throws this year, that is just one of two receptions he has in 2025.

So the Seahawks No. 3 wide receiver spot is a competition, especially after Cody White was just signed to the active roster for their game against the Saints. But Seattle will need a third option to emerge since it will face better pass opposition — the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans — ahead of their Week 8 bye.

Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

The post Seahawks Legend Offers High Praise for Wide Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba appeared first on Heavy Sports.