Todd McShay Says Jeremiah Smith Could Be 'Best' NFL WR Ever, Compares OSU Star to Calvin Johnson

The Ringer NFL draft expert Todd McShay paid the ultimate compliment to Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on Wednesday during his early look ahead at the 2027 NFL draft.

During a discussion on the McShay Show (beginning at the 34:50 mark), McShay agreed that Smith is the best player in the 2027 NFL draft and one of the best wide receivers he has evaluated.

McShay noted that his current grade for Smith exceeds the grades he gave to Marvin Harrison Jr., Ja'Marr Chase and A.J. Green entering their respective drafts.

The one wideout who McShay had graded higher was Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Detroit Lions superstar Calvin Johnson, who he recalled giving a 97 or 98 grade ahead of the 2007 NFL draft.

McShay noted that he is not ruling out the possibility of grading Smith better than Johnson depending on how the 2026 college football season plays out. He also went on to say that he believes Smith could potentially become the "best wide receiver of all time."

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For as much focus that is already being placed on quarterbacks Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Drew Mestemaker, LaNorris Sellers and others with regard to the 2027 NFL draft, Smith could prove to be a better NFL player than all of them.

Smith has been hugely productive over his two seasons at OSU, recording 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to a national championship as a freshman, and 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy last season, while earning unanimous All-American honors as well.

Smith is the type of game breaker every NFL team looks for in a wide receiver, and the team that picks earliest in the 2027 NFL draft without having an obvious need at quarterback could prove to be the draft's biggest winner because of Smith.