Cowboys draft 2023: Jaxon Smith-Njigba seems to like the idea of winding up in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys have a glaring need at wide receiver. Much of this offseason will likely be spent by the Cowboys figuring out just how to add talent to an offense that does boast CeeDee Lamb, but is in sore need of help for him and the quarterback. One possible avenue to explore is an established veteran (Stefon Diggs’ name just randomly came to mind for no reason at all), but the 2023 NFL Draft is also a well to tap into.

Lamb was the last wideout who the Cowboys spent premium resources on in the NFL draft, although they did draft Jalen Tolbert in the third round last year and that is still a Day 2 pick. To be clear, we are talking about difference-makers and one of the ones who we would like to see if the Cowboys take one in the first round goes by three letters.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba seems to like the idea of winding up in Dallas

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is from nearby Rockwall, the home of his high school football career. He has played in AT&T Stadium and many Cowboys fans are hoping that he goes from life as a Buckeye to life as a Cowboy the way that Ezekiel Elliott did seven years ago.

The Cowboys took Zeke with the fourth overall pick and currently hold the 26th selection in this year’s draft. JSN is going to be a name mocked to them a ton in the lead-up to the draft, but it is also very possible that he is gone long before then.

We caught up with JSN on Friday in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVII thanks to our friends at Panini. We asked him about a tweet that he had recently that seemed like a wink at Cowboys fans and about the idea of ending up with the Cowboys in general.

“Just growing up right there in Rockwall, TX, just close and all my family. Being a Cowboy, it would definitely be a blessing and an honor. I know that star on that helmet means something. Growing up I always loved watching them play. It was hard sometimes, I’ve been there with the fans. Ups and downs. It would be a blessing, wherever I go, but definitely special if I was a Cowboy.”

Immediately after this I asked him who his “guy” was growing up and presumed it would be Dez Bryant given that JSN was born in 2002; however, he said Terrell Owens. He of course acknowledged how great of a receiver Bryant was and how great CeeDee Lamb currently is.

We will see just how much the Cowboys are connected to JSN throughout the draft process. It makes all the sense in the world for him to wind up in Dallas, but that is very often times not enough.

Jaxon joined us on behalf of Panini. Panini America is hosting Trevon Diggs along with several other NFL players and draft prospects at the Panini Prizm VIP event in Phoenix ahead of Super Bowl weekend. Panini is the exclusive trading card partner of the NFL. You can get Panini NFL Trading Cards at Walmart, Target and hobby stores nationwide, and you can also start collecting your favorite NFL players as NFTs on the Panini America platform at www.PaniniAmerica.net.