Jeremiah Smith Should Be Allowed To Play in the NFL Next Year

Jeremiah Smith is the best player remaining in the College Football Playoff, and he still has two more years of school left. 

The talented Ohio State receiver hauled in seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-point victory against the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.

At just 19 years old, Smith would be the No. 1 receiver drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’d probably be a top 10 selection. And that’s not hyperbole. 

Currently, NFL mock drafts have Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan as a top five pick. He put up 1,319 yards in his junior season with the Wildcats. He had eight touchdowns and 26 total in his career. 

What’s wild is the fact that Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly really couldn’t figure out how to use Smith early in the season. Sure, Smith had a few big games smattered about, paired with highlight-worthy catches that made fans say, “Wait, this is a teenager?”

But that teenager has blossomed late in the season. When the lights have shined the brightest for the Buckeyes, they’ve somehow managed to shine even brighter for Smith, who has become the engine behind everything Ohio State does offensively. 

His 187-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl only came off the heels of his 103-yard, two-touchdown performance against Tennessee in the first round. 

It was apparent all year that there wasn’t a defensive back in the nation that could defend Smith. This was apparent in Ohio State’s loss to Michigan, but Kelly and quarterback Will Howard just could not manage to get him involved. 

Things have completely changed since then, and Smith is the focal point of everything that Ohio State does. His frame somehow looks larger than it did earlier in the season, consistently drawing comparisons to Julio Jones. Again, he’s 19 years old. 

The stats are bizarre for a true freshman, but when you actually watch him play the games, he genuinely looks the part of a guy that could play on Sundays. 

Seriously. In Week 18, so many NFL teams are benching their starters due to having their playoff spot locked up or due to complete ineptitude that has them crawling to the finish line. Imagine Smith—just a few days after balling out in the Rose Bowl—dominating backup secondaries.

In a wild dream scenario that will never actually happen, Smith should be allowed to jointly petition the NCAA and NFL to declare for the NFL Draft as a consensus first-round pick. There's literally no chance that he would be selected any later than the top 20 picks.

In the era of NIL dominating college football, Smith will be quite alright financially after two more seasons in Columbus, leaving the rest of us football fans waiting two more seasons to watch him play on Sundays.

He’d be the best receiver in the 2025 draft class. He would be the best receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft class. In 2027, he will join fellow current teenager and Alabama star Ryan Williams as the top wide receiver selected.