How Jeremiah Smith stacks up to Calvin Johnson as an NFL Draft prospect

It’s possible Jeremiah Smith was NFL-ready from the moment he stepped foot on Ohio State’s campus. After one more go-round in the collegiate ranks, one lucky franchise will finally get their hands on him in the 2027 NFL Draft — and have their No. 1 receiver for the next decade, at least.

Smith has more receiving yards (2,558) and touchdown grabs (27) than anyone in the country since he joined the Buckeyes in 2024. Other than Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, he’s the only Ohio State receiver ever with two 1,000-yard receiving campaigns, and his best may be yet to come.

On a recent podcast, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay claimed to have Smith as a higher-rated prospect than the likes of Ja'Marr Chase, A.J. Green and Harrison Jr. But he stopped just short of taking him over Calvin Johnson, a Georgia Tech product who enjoyed a dominant nine-year NFL career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

What the numbers say about Jeremiah Smith vs. Calvin Johnson

“I think Calvin Johnson was like a 98 or a 97 (grade),” McShay said. “I’m not totally ruling it out (that Smith can surpass him). … I literally think he could be the best wide receiver of all time.”

“He could be the best wide receiver in the history of the National Football League,” McShay added. “I want you to think about that.”

Comparing anyone to Megatron, possibly the most imposing physical specimen the league has ever seen, is bold bordering on reckless. But could Smith really measure up to Johnson? Let’s take a look at what the numbers say.

Will Jeremiah Smith be drafted higher than Calvin Johnson was?

It’s unlikely. Johnson went No. 2 overall in 2007, right after the Oakland Raiders yanked noted disappointment JaMarcus Russell off the board. To beat Johnson in that regard, Smith would obviously have to be the top pick, something only three receivers have ever done: Dave Parks to the San Francisco 49ers in 1964, Irving Fryar to the Patriots 20 years later and, finally, Keyshawn Johnson, who went to the New York Jets in 1996.

Peter Warrick was the first offensive player taken in the 2000 NFL Draft, going No. 4 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. Charles Rogers (No. 2, Detroit) and Andre Johnson (No. 3, Houston) were the first non-quarterbacks taken in 2003.

Even going No. 3 overall would be a feat for Smith, being that only five wideouts — six, if you count two-way Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, now a full-time cornerback — have gone so high since the turn of the century. The others are Larry Fitzgerald (No. 3, Arizona, 2004) and Braylon Edwards (No. 3, Cleveland, 2005).

Making matters harder for Smith to go No. 1 overall is the fact that the 2027 quarterback class — which will likely include Texas’ Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore — should be rich.

How does Jeremiah Smith’s physical tools compare to Calvin Johnson?

According to his page on Pro Football Reference, Johnson stood 6-foot-5 and tipped the scale at 237 pounds during his NFL career. Smith is two inches short and about 15 pounds lighter. Not that he’s any less of a physical force.

“You watch the way he moves, and then on top of that, the physicality that he has — which is the most underrated aspect of playing that position in the NFL,” McShay said. “It’s like a thoroughbred, racehorse, and then the way he moves at that size. And the unbelievable part is how refined he is as a route runner. The little things he does on tape, it’s wild.”

Smith may not be quite the Greek god that Megatron was, but then again, who is? He's still got plenty of physicality, and he was manhandling top college defenses from the moment he stepped on campus.

How do their collegiate accomplishments stack up?

Once he gets to the pros, Smith will have to pile up 732 receptions, 11,620 receiving yards and 84 touchdowns to statistically pass Johnson, whose 1,964 receiving yards in 2012 remain a league record for a single season.

But while the NFL feats will be tough to top, Smith compares pretty well to Johnson on the collegiate stage.

Of course, there's some context needed there; Smith had the benefit of multiple College Football Playoff runs, while Johnson was mired in a Reggie Ball-led offense at Georgia Tech. It should come as no surprise that Smith will have the statistical edge in college when all is said and done. Both were transparently too good for college almost right away, and while they dominate in different ways, the effect is the same.

Smith is short on one thing — a Transformers-related nickname. Maybe he'll get that during his rookie season like Johnson did.

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