Within every draft cycle, it’s easy to get carried away with superlatives and dub an upcoming prospect a truly once-in-a-generation talent. Particularly at wide receiver, it feels like prospects are hyped as future NFL legends every single offseason.
That said, Jeremiah Smith has a more legitimate claim to once-in-a-generation status than any wide receiver prospect in recent memory.
The 20-year-old pass-catcher was one of the highest-rated recruits in high school football history and the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2024. And to say he has exceeded those lofty expectations at Ohio State would be an enormous understatement.
Smith will be remembered as one of, if not the single greatest, players to ever don the scarlet and gray in Columbus. He already holds the program record for receiving yards and sits on the verge of breaking the school record for receiving touchdowns, with at least eight more games to play at the time of writing.
His scouting report is one of the hardest to write because there is hardly a flaw to pick apart, nor an adjective that can describe just how incredible Smith has been over the past three years.
- Height: 6-foot-4
- Weight: 223 pounds
- Expected Draft Position: Top-five pick
- Best Film: 2024 Rose Bowl vs. Oregon
During the 2026 offseason, PFF examined whether Smith could be the greatest wide receiver prospect in NFL history. Since then, he has only strengthened his case, racking up 617 receiving yards through the first four games of the 2026 season, including career-best performances against Texas and Illinois. Smith is the highest-graded wide receiver in college football so far this season.
Across the past three seasons, Smith has stood head and shoulders above the rest of the FBS in virtually every category. He is the only player with more than 3,000 receiving yards since 2024, and no other player has come within 900 yards of his total. His 34 receiving touchdowns also lead the FBS over that span, as do his 71 explosive receptions of 15 or more yards.
Jeremiah Smith: receiving stats since 2024
Metric Rank Targets 258 1st Receptions 196 1st Yards 3171 1st First downs & touchdowns 139 1st Target rate 29.00% T-25th Yards per route run 3.56 5th Passer rating when targeted 146.5 10th PFF Receiving grade 94.9 1stAmong 607 FBS receivers with 50 or more targets
Where Jeremiah Smith excels
Everywhere. Smith has the size and physicality of an imposing red-zone threat at the next level but has somehow blended that with the crisp, refined footwork of an intricate route technician.
Smith stood out as a physical presence from Day 1, but his ability to win in traffic has developed massively over the past three seasons. Over his first season and a half, Smith made 14 contested catches on 34 opportunities. In the 10 games since, he has won 17 of his 23 contested-catch opportunities.
He has rare body control at the catch point, paired with an enormous catch radius, tremendous ball tracking and a flair for the spectacular. One-handed grabs have become a mainstay of his game.
Those who don’t watch college football regularly may cite Marvin Harrison Jr.’s early NFL struggles as a reason Smith may not develop into the superstar he looks capable of becoming. Harrison was similarly phenomenal at the catch point at Ohio State, but he entered the league with legitimate questions about his ability to separate. Smith has no such concerns.
Smith is a natural separator with innate awareness against both man and zone coverage. He has an excellent feel for leverage and countless examples on tape of setting up defensive backs, waiting for their hips to react to his movements and then instantly changing direction.
Whether it’s throttling down at the top of a route, planting a foot and driving on a double move or simply burning defenders in a straight line, Smith consistently creates separation to the point that defenders often aren’t even close enough to contest the catch.
Finally, Smith has excellent hands. He has just four career drops at Ohio State. Even if he adds a couple more over the remainder of this season, he would finish his college career with fewer drops than Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson or fellow Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba, despite recording more than 500 additional receiving yards than any of them.
Click here to see Jeremiah Smith's profile in Premium Stats Pro.Areas for improvement
In the areas that truly matter, Smith is pretty flawless. If we are to really nitpick, his run blocking is nothing we haven’t seen before, but it is still above average for a first-round wide receiver prospect. Given his size and athleticism, he also has plenty of room to improve there. Smith’s PFF run-blocking grade has improved in each season and sits at 78.5 one month into his junior year.
Smith’s ability after the catch is also fairly standard for a first-round pick. He has averaged 5.2 yards after the catch per reception, two full yards fewer than Jaxon Smith-Njigba averaged at Ohio State.
It’s tough for a receiver with Smith’s frame to be overly shifty after the catch, but he is still well ahead of the average big-bodied wideout. Smith is on track to finish his college career having forced more missed tackles than any first-round wide receiver pick in the past decade.
Jeremiah Smith: Stable and unstable metrics (since 2024)
Stable metrics
Receiving Grade 100 Receiving Grade vs. Single Coverage 98 Receiving Grade vs. ZUT 92 Separation Percentage 81 Separation Percentage vs. Single Coverage 50 YPRR 98 aDOT 60 YAC/Rec 37Unstable metrics
Drop Rate 99 Contested Catch Percentage 86 Catchable Targets 88Best team fits
Obviously, every team is a fit for a player this talented. Selfishly, we all want to see Smith start his NFL career with a capable quarterback. Luckily for him, it’s shaping up to be a strong year for passers, so a team holding the first overall pick may bypass Smith in favor of a potential long-term franchise quarterback such as Arch Manning.
The Jets hold three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. Pairing Smith with another top rookie on an offense that already boasts Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq would generate incredible hype entering the 2027 season.
One would hope the Dolphins, Cardinals and, dare I say, the Titans get their affairs in order under center before addressing another skill position early in the draft. It’s unlikely the Chargers will continue their miserable run of form for the rest of the season, but what a connection Justin Herbert and Smith could form over the next five-plus years.
Finally, the Raiders make sense as a team in need of a top long-term target for Fernando Mendoza. However, their hot start to the 2026 season could take them out of Smith’s range.
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NFL outlook
While other players in this class are compared with each other, Smith’s outlook is measured against names like Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones and Ja’Marr Chase. He belongs in a bracket of wide receiver prospects who simply do not come around often. There is no player on the horizon with Smith’s combination of athletic upside and proven production.
As it stands today, Smith is arguably more likely to become a future Hall of Famer than an outright draft bust. There is, of course, a middle ground. There is every chance Smith settles into the NFL’s next tier of receivers alongside the likes of D.K. Metcalf and Drake London.
But it’s simply impossible to ignore what could be. This is not just a player who burst onto the scene in college. Smith has been destined for greatness since he first put on a helmet. He is already regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers in college football history and has every chance to achieve the same, and perhaps more, in the NFL.