Jaxon Smith-Njigba put together one of the most productive pass-catching seasons in NFL history in 2025 while helping the Seahawks win a Super Bowl, so it's no surprise that he is viewed as one of the very best in the league at what he does by NFL coaches and talent evaluators.
Smith-Njigba, the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year, checked in at No. 3 among receivers in ESPN’s annual rankings, which are voted on by NFL coaches, scouts and executives. Nick Emmanwori, who had a standout rookie season as a versatile chess piece in Mike Macdonald's offense, ranked sixth among safeties. Fellow safety Julian Love did not make the top 10 but was in the "also receiving votes" category.
Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, was one of three receivers to appear on every ballot, and is behind Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase and Minnesota's Justin Jefferson in the rankings.
"He reminds me so much of Cooper Kupp's tremendous performance in 2021, only JSN is better on the outside than him," an NFL coordinator told ESPN. "Love his game. Relentless. Smooth. Competitor. He's not the elite outside player those top guys are."
Despite missing almost four full games at the start of the season due to an ankle injury, Emmanwori still was able to pile up 81 tackles, 11 passes defensed, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception, and his ability to do so many different things in the defense, ranging from run defense to pass rushing to pass coverage, was a key to Seattle's success on that side of the ball.
"Major upside," an NFL coordinator told ESPN. "He's so impressive for where he is at such a young age. He's got all the physical measurables."
Last week, Leonard Williams was [ranked No. 1 among defensive tackles in ESPN’s survey, while Devon Witherspoon ranked fourth at cornerback.](https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-leonard-williams-devon-witherspoon-ranked-highly-by-coaches-executives-scouts#:~:text=Leonard Williams%2C a dominant force,meanwhile%2C ranked fourth among cornerbacks. "https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-leonard-williams-devon-witherspoon-ranked-highly-by-coaches-executives-scouts#:~:text=Leonard%20Williams%2C%20a%20dominant%20force,meanwhile%2C%20ranked%20fourth%20among%20cornerbacks.")