Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a first down catch during the second half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. Credit: The Columbus Dispatch
College FootballESPNNFLBy Ben Axelrod on

How good is Jeremiah Smith? So good that at least one ESPN analyst believes that teams will be tanking for the Ohio State freshman wide receiver when he’s eligible to declare for the NFL Draft — which won’t be for another two years.

“He would easily be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft,” Dan Orlovsky said of Smith during Thursday’s episode of Get Up. “You will have teams in two years, for that ’27 draft, tanking for him.”

“For a wide receiver?” host Mike Greenberg asked.

“Absolutely. He’s that good. He’s that talented,” Orlovsky confirmed. “He is Julio Jones. His hips look like they’re in his armpits. He looks 6-5 just from his hips down. He reminds me of Julio Jones. His physical frame reminds me a little bit of Calvin Johnson’s. He would be easily the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Easily.”

While Orlovsky has never been shy to issue a good hot take, the reality is this might not even be hyperbole from the former NFL quarterback.

Watch Smith play and the most common comparison you’ll get is Julio Jones — and not necessarily the version that played at Alabama, but rather the Atlanta Falcons. Through the first 14 games of his college career, the 19-year-old wideout has tallied 70 receptions for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns, including seven catches for 187 yard and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s 41-21 victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Wednesday.

While a lot can change over the course of the next two years, it seems like a pretty safe bet that Jeremiah Smith will be one of the first players taken in the 2027 NFL Draft, which will be the first he’ll be eligible to declare for under the league’s current rules. It’s worth noting, however, that a wide receiver hasn’t been selected first overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996 and that the 2027 draft could very well feature another already highly touted prospect in Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Nevertheless, it speaks volumes that Orlovsky could say that teams will be tanking for Jeremiah Smith two years from now without it being immediately dismissed as a total hot take. At this point, there might not be anything you could say to praise the freshman wideout that would be received as hyperbole — even if it’s coming from someone who’s been accused of doing hyperbole for a living.

[Awful Announcing on X]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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