Why Jeremiah Smith has to be the No. 1 pick in 2027 NFL Draft

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We are still early in the 2026 college football season, but NFL front offices are already charting projections for the 2027 NFL Draft. Whenever that cycle begins, quarterbacks inevitably dominate the discussion.

The default operating assumption is that if a franchise secures the No. 1 overall selection, it must spend it on a prospective franchise quarterback.

That pattern could easily repeat itself in 2027. Passers such as Texas’ Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore, and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr are expected to attract significant attention. But unless one of them establishes himself as a bulletproof, generational prospect, general managers must look past positional dogma and evaluate pure talent.

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They need to look at Jeremiah Smith.

A prospect worth breaking the Draft rulebook for

The hesitance to draft a receiver first overall is rooted in historical precedent. The last wide receiver selected No. 1 overall was Keyshawn Johnson by the New York Jets in 1996. Over the past three decades, front offices have treated the top of the draft as the exclusive domain of quarterbacks, premier edge rushers, and cornerstone left tackles.

Smith, however, defies conventional scouting tiers.

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, the Buckeyes standout possesses rare physical traits that make single coverage extremely difficult. He combines elite vertical speed with the sudden deceleration needed to create separation at the top of his routes.

At the line of scrimmage, his physical frame allows him to fight through press coverage, while his massive catch radius gives quarterbacks more room for error on contested throws.

Most impressively, Smith demonstrated from his first collegiate season that external expectations would not faze him. As a true freshman in 2024, he set Ohio State freshman records with 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He achieved that production inside a program that has produced NFL first-round receivers such as Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Why the best player available must outweigh positional tradition

The obvious counterargument is what happens if one of the 2027 quarterback prospects catches fire and establishes himself as a true franchise cornerstone? In that scenario, drafting the passer remains the correct move.

The trap lies in manufacturing a No. 1 quarterback simply because positional convention dictates it. Spending the draft’s most valuable asset on a good-not-great signal-caller out of desperation can set a franchise back for years.

While an elite quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive possession, a dominant pass-catcher can still change an entire offense. Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase have shown how an elite wideout can command defensive attention, create explosive plays, and make life easier for the quarterback throwing him the ball.

There remains plenty of football ahead in the 2026 season for the quarterbacks to strengthen their cases. Smith also has more work to do before NFL teams can make a final evaluation.

But if April 2027 arrives and he remains the highest-graded player on the board, front offices cannot let tradition make the decision for them.

The NFL has treated the No. 1 pick as quarterback territory for three decades. If Jeremiah Smith continues on his current trajectory, he could be the rare receiver talented enough to finally break that mold.

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