Smith-Njigba poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being drafted 20th overall by the Seattle Seahawks during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)Getty Images
The 49ers will set out to bolster a Super Bowl-caliber roster on Friday when they’re due to make three picks in the third round of the NFL Draft, but their path through the NFC seems to have gotten tougher after the first day of picks in Kansas City.
San Francisco saw the quality of its biggest rival in the division and the team that beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game improve as both the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles played impressive first rounds.
Seattle won gold with Pick 5 and 20th overall pick, landing Illinois State cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Witherspoon gives the Seahawks a fluid and physical corner, characterized by excellent plays at catch point and an aggressive playstyle that the secondary in Seattle was arguably lacking. In his final season in Illinois, he had three interceptions and 14 pass breakups.
Smith-Njigba, on the other hand, is an exceptionally smooth and creative route-runner, excellent at tracking the ball and adding yards after catches. He’ll likely play mostly next-level slots, can form an impressive trio with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and help Geno Smith continue to thrive after his 2022 comeback Player of the Year season.
The Seahawks were swept by the 49ers in the regular season and routed in the San Francisco wild card round. Witherspoon improves Seattle’s chances of defending San Francisco’s star-studded offense, while Smith-Njigba poses a potentially significant problem for a vaunted defense that lost Emmanuel Moseley and Jimmie Ward from the secondary on free hands.
San Francisco will still be the favorite to successfully defend its NFC West title in 2023, but a bigger problem for the 49ers could be toppling the team that ended its Super Bowl hopes last season has finished.
The conference title game may have been effectively decided on the 49ers’ first offensive series when Brock Purdy tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow of his throwing arm, but Georgia Eagles new signings Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith The ninth and 30th picks will make a defensive front that caused significant problems for the Niners in January even more difficult to stop.
Smith, considered by many to be the first-round steal, had lost 15 tackles in his last two seasons with the Bulldogs.
Of course, the 49ers have one of the best rosters in football themselves, and they reinforced their excellent defensive line by signing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the Eagles in the headline San Francisco offseason.
And given their recent history of uncovering contributors with mid- and late-round picks, the Niners will be confident of improving their roster despite a lack of premium capital.
Still, it has to be argued that the Seahawks closed the gap and the Eagles created an even greater obstacle with their respective first-round moves that should make them better now and in the future. Last but not least, the progress they’ve made with their top pick reinforces the importance of the 49ers capitalizing on this Super Bowl window as soon as possible.
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I’m a UK-based journalist who has covered the NFL extensively since 2014. I was previously a featured columnist with the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report and have since written for Fanside covering all aspects of the league for their flagship website and the NFL Draft for ‘With The First Pick’.
I cover the league from an analytical perspective for the Pro Football Network and have also been featured frequently in Sporting News. I am also a contributor to UK NFL magazine Gridiron, with articles published in the monthly and weekly online editions.
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