There’s a good chance they hear these words:
With the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, the (insert team) select Jeremiah Smith — wide receiver, Ohio State.
It’s a statement from Goodell that could snap NFL draft trends, giving Ohio State its first top pick since Orlando Pace in 1997 and giving the league its first receiver as the No. 1 selection since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.
It’s a tall task, but for a player who consistently sets a new bar for himself, hyperbole doesn’t exist.
NFL draft analysts agree.
“He would’ve been the best player in this draft, he’d be the best player in the next draft and he’ll be the best player in his draft,” ESPN’s Matt Miller told cleveland.com.
What makes Jeremiah Smith an elite NFL prospect?
Smith is listed as 6-foot-3, 215 pounds on Ohio State’s roster, and he looks every part of it. Add in the speed and athleticism, and it’s clear why Miller believes Smith just needs to stay healthy in order to be a top-level NFL draft prospect.
However, there’s an element to Smith’s game which makes him more than just another first-round receiver.
“I think the most impressive thing to me is the instincts for the position,” Miller said. “The way that he tracked the ball, some of the body adjustments that he made — you just don’t expect from a freshman.”
Smith plays a position where the term “diva” is often used to label some of the best.
Yet, according to Ohio State coach Ryan Day, he’s a mature and private person with a “smile that just lights up a room.”
“When you have that component, and then you have these special physical tools, that’s when you get into that area where you talk about generational prospects or blue chip prospects — those guys that you really see as almost can’t miss,” Miller said.
Ohio State has a reputation at receiver
Carnell Tate is a bridge receiver in a way.
If he can become a 2026 first-round pick, like many experts project, Ohio State’s streak of having receivers selected in the first round will extend to five years.
Smith will then undoubtedly make it six, adding to Brian Hartline’s reputation of producing NFL-ready receivers.
Yet even in a list featuring Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, Smith stands alone — made evident by the program records he’s on pace to break.
“This guy is different,” Miller said. “He’s different than all those.”
Who’s better: Arch Manning or Jeremiah Smith?
The NFL wasn’t impressed by the 2025 quarterback class. Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart were the lone first-round picks at the position.
Many expect the 2026 class to be better with players such as Penn State’s Drew Allar, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers carrying top-10 potential.
Next year’s group could also include Arch Manning — the Texas quarterback likely to be ranked above all the aforementioned prospects.
However, some project Manning to spend two years as the Longhorns’ starter, moving him into the 2027 NFL Draft.
Manning is the only player with enough hype to knock Smith out of the No. 1 spot, Miller said. And still, Smith’s name could be the first off the board.
“Even with the quarterbacks that we expect to be in that ’27 class, he would be my top player if I had to rate them right now,” Miller said. “He’s just that talented.”
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