Jeremiah Smith may be the most highly regarded wide receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson. And with the Bucs winning in Carolina and now firmly ‘in the hunt,’ I am sure some might now say, “Why scout Smith, there is no way he will be available when the Bucs pick. It’s a waste of time.” I’ve heard something similar before. As a matter of fact, here is what I have heard, word-for-word. “What’s the point of this? He’s gonna be long gone by 15. And Jason Licht wouldn’t trade up and give up assets on a bet. So this article will end up being irrelevant come draft day.”
That’s a comment on my February 13th scouting report on Rueben Bain Jr. Let that be a lesson to you, the draft is never a guarantee. Teams scout all potential top picks, even if they are projected to go long before that team picks. And as someone who covers a team, I try to mirror those efforts.
With all of that said, Smith was such a fun watch!
Ohio State Wr Jeremiah Smith - Photo By: Imagn Images Via Reuters Connect
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
Jeremiah Smith Scouting Report
I watched three of Jeremiah Smith’s 2026 games: at Texas, at Iowa and at Indiana. All three were on the road against ranked teams. His total line across those three games: 23 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns. That stat line backs the profile of a dynamic X receiver with plenty of translatable skills.
Jeremiah Smith Background
Smith is a true junior out of Ohio State. Pro Football Focus lists him at 6-4 and 222 pounds. When his official measurements come in, I feel confident it will be closer to 6-3 and 215. He was a five-star prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna High School in 2024, and the #1 prospect in the nation that year according to 247 Sports.
He was the first freshman ever named an Iron Buckeye and earned the honor twice more in 2025. He has a national title, an All-American nod and a sixth-place Heisman finish already on his résumé.
Ohio State Wr Jeremiah Smith - Photo By: Imagn Images Via Reuters Connect
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
Through seven games this season he has 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s 18.9 yards per catch and 140.6 yards per game. His 4.78 yards per route run leads every qualifying receiver in FBS.
How He Wins
I want to start with the deep ball, because that’s where his highlights have been all over. On targets 20-plus yards downfield this season he has 11 catches for 421 yards and six touchdowns. Those rank t-4th, 4th and 3rd across all FBS receivers. Posts and go routes are his best work. His top speed comes easily and his acceleration is quick, so he gets on top of corners and safeties from both the boundary and the slot.
The Texas game showed the full package. On a seam post out of the field slot, he used his hips to sell an outside stem, opened up the single-high safety, then broke inside underneath him for 43 yards. Later, on 3rd-and-10, a quick stutter left the corner flat-footed, and Smith ran right by him for another 43 yards.
Both of those balls were underthrown, and that’s a recurring theme. Smith is having to work down to the passes headed downfield in his direction. Smith outruns his quarterback’s throws repeatedly, and he doesn’t panic. He comes back to the ball, tracks it, and finishes through contact. His 38-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1 at Indiana was the best example.
His other signature is how he stops. At the top of deep curls he decelerates hard enough to create easy separation, then uses quick feet to come back to the ball. His 18-yard catch on 3rd-and-12 at Iowa was textbook. Because he’s such a threat deep, corners give him cushion, and he takes the free hitch when they do.
Ohio State Wr Jeremiah Smith - Photo By: Imagn Images Via Reuters Connect
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
At the catch point he goes up for the ball through traffic with strong hands. His body control in the air is a superpower. He makes sideline catches, extends for one-handed attempts, and adjusts to short throws on fades. He has caught 7 of 8 contested targets at intermediate depth this season.
After the catch, his transition to runner is seamless. He isn’t a guy who makes defenders miss in a phone booth. He takes away pursuit angles with his speed instead. Ohio State trusts him on manufactured touches: he has 118 yards after the catch on seven catches behind the line of scrimmage this season.
He can also play on the line. He has the frame, footwork and strength to be a true X, and he beats press. Even so, I think he stresses a defense most from the slot, where his speed gets him on top of safeties. He averages 5.06 yards per route run from the slot, though it’s a small sample of 34 routes. It’s a tantalizing profile as he can help set the roles for the rest of a receiver room, but if that room already has someone who can work as an X, it turns him into the ultimate chess piece moving all across the offensive formation.
Ohio State Wr Jeremiah Smith - Photo By: Imagn Images Via Reuters Connect
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
The Question Marks
As much as others might argue with this, Smith is not a perfect prospect. His routes near the line of scrimmage lack urgency. I want to see more suddenness in his cuts. In-breaking routes are more of a question than a weakness. The dig reps I observed were okay but not great, with rounded stems at both Iowa and Indiana, and he didn’t separate on a 3rd-and-4 slant at Texas. I also barely saw him on deeper out-breakers over my tape watch.
When his speed alone doesn’t create separation, he’s left with contested catches, and those results are mixed. He’s 1 of 4 on contested targets at short depth this year.
The biggest question I have about him relates to his concentration when he’s not asked to be the engine of the offense. At Texas he dropped an easy ball because he wasn’t the primary read and wasn’t expecting the throw. On another rep he wasn’t looking for the ball at the top of his stem. His drop rate has risen each season, from 1.3 percent to 2.2 percent to 3.7 percent. The good news is that I didn’t see it again at Indiana or Iowa.
Ohio State Wr Jeremiah Smith - Photo By: Imagn Images Via Reuters Connect
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
He doesn’t have elite feel for finding space against zone, either. He’s a man beater who still produces against zone because everything else he does is so good. He’s also a willing blocker who uses his size. At Iowa he drove a safety several yards backward on a stalk block.
Jeremiah Smith getting after it in the run game. https://t.co/qsxDHjrt8g
Jeremiah Smith Draft Grade
On my 4-to-9 scale, Smith grades out at 8.46 on tape and 8.93 on production. That works out to an 8.50 composite.
That’s Tier 1, the top 5 percent of a draft class, where the expectation is an All-Pro-caliber player. His ceiling is a dominant X who wins at all three levels. His floor is a vertical and slot mismatch weapon. He’s ideal for a vertical-based offense, but he’s scheme agnostic and fits any system.
Ohio State Wr Jeremiah Smith - Photo By: Imagn Images Via Reuters Connect
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
When I watch him, I see Julio Jones. He would be an excellent fit for the Bucs helping Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan slot into F/Z roles while Ted Hurst could allow Smith to move into advantageous matchups. He would elevate the entire room.
I cut up his targets against Indiana.
All targets for Jeremiah Smith vs IU. https://t.co/YdBML0Th06
— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) October 24, 2026
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Bucs Draft Scouting Report: Jeremiah Smith 8
Josh Queipo joined the Pewter Report team in 2022, specializing in salary cap analysis and film study. In addition to his official role with the website and podcast, he has an unofficial role as the Pewter Report team’s beaming light of positivity and jokes. A staunch proponent of the forward pass, he is a father to two amazing children and loves sushi, brisket, steak and bacon, though the order changes depending on the day. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 2008 with a degree in finance.