Jeremiah Smith Hyped by Mel Kiper Jr., Ohio State WR Is 'Locked In' As 2027 No. 1 NFL Draft Prospect

While the 2027 NFL draft is loaded with talented prospects, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said there is "no doubt" Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the best player.

"That's pretty much locked in, you can write that in pen," he said of Smith being the top-ranked player (5:15 mark). "He's a great player, we've seen it since his freshman year when we would have probably had him in our top three or five overall on the big board.

"... Nobody's going to be touching Jeremiah Smith in terms of rating for this draft."

This isn't a surprising opinion to anyone who watched college football the last three years.

Smith arrived at Ohio State as the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and wasted no time making an impact. He helped lead the Buckeyes to the national championship as a freshman as their go-to receiver on a roster with NFL playmakers in Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate.

That was just the start, as Smith was an All-American as a sophomore and could be well on his way to a Heisman Trophy as a junior. Despite playing just 2.5 seasons, he is Ohio State's all-time leader in catches (215), receiving yards (3,542) and receiving touchdowns (39).

In Saturday's win over Indiana, he tied Braylon Edwards' Big Ten record for receiving touchdowns. Smith will surely break it if he remains healthy, as the Buckeyes still have five games remaining before the postseason.

Ohio State Buckeyes - Indiana Hoosiers Highlights

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While Smith will be the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in this draft and already is on B/R's NFL Scouting Department's big board, which team ends up with the top pick could determine his landing spot.

After all, a team that needs a quarterback could look toward that position.

But they will undoubtedly at least have conversations about the Ohio State playmaker.