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There’s little denying that Ohio State has unofficially become “Wide Receiver U.” Few people know that better than former Buckeye and current Steelers quarterback Justin Fields, who played with several future NFL wideouts during his time in Columbus, Ohio.
Fields recently accepted the challenge of ranking Ohio State wideouts currently in the NFL, and his ranking included a few surprises.
“At one, we’ve got Marvin [Harrison],” Field said. “Two, you got Jackson [Smith-Njigba]. Three, Garrett [Wilson]. Four, Chris [Olave]. and then, five, Terry [McLaurin]. But, you know, I love all of them, (so) don’t take it too personal.”
Fields’ ranking is somewhat surprising given that he chose a Buckeyes receiver he never played with in college (Harrison) over his top-two wideouts during his final season at Ohio State (Wilson and Olave). Fields’ top choice is also somewhat of a surprise given that Harrison has yet to play a snap in the NFL, while the other four wideouts on Fields’ list have each enjoyed some level of success at the next level.
Wilson and Olave (both first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft) each went over 1,000 receiving yards in their first two NFL seasons. McLaurin, a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past four years and was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2022. Smith-Njigba, after a slow start to his rookie season, ended the 2023 campaign with two touchdown catches in Seattle’s final four games.
Speaking of Smith-Njigba, it’s somewhat surprising that Fields put him above of McLaurin, given McLaurin’s success in the NFL so far. It should be noted, however, that Smith-Njigba recorded a Rose Bowl single-game record of 347 receiving yards (with Wilson and Olave skipping the game to prepare for the upcoming draft) in Ohio State’s come-from-behind win over Utah on Jan. 1, 2022. Smith-Njigba’s quarterback that day was…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-justin-fields-ranks-ohio-states-top-five-nfl-receivers-led-by-rookie-marvin-harrison-jr/
Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2024-07-10 16:16:30
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