Arian Smith

The Jets took a swing at a two-time national champion from Georgia when they selected wide receiver Arian Smith in Round 4. Smith enters the league at 23 years old into a very crowded, if unspectacular, receiver room.

Aside from slatwart Garrett Wilson, a standout camp and maturation could be Smith’s ticket to a starting gig. He’s presumably behind two journeymen on the depth chart—Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard—who are a combined 59 years old. They have typically been role players throughout their careers. Last year’s third-round draft pick, Malachi Corley did not see much action in his rookie season. The stars seem aligned for him and Smith to eventually take over as starters alongside Wilson.

The “light on talent” class made the Jets’ pick of Smith pretty clear. While his production over five seasons at Georgia was unimpressive, his numbers at this season’s combine point to an athletic receiver who is still developing. The Mulberry, FL native ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and ranked 10th among wide receivers with an athleticism score of 84.

The new receiver for the Jets did not show a lot in college until his senior season, when he hauled in 48 catches for 817 yards. To be fair, he did not have a lot of chances to get on the field before then, never having eclipsed nine catches in a season. That made his senior campaign that much more impressive.

How Smith develops is going to go a long way. It will be feast or famine for him in the NFL with no in-between. Either he grows quickly into a starting-caliber role, or he’s destined to be a practice squad journeyman waiting for injuries to provide opportunity.

Author: Sam Schneider (@BuyAndSellYou)