NFC Notes: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

49ers third-round S Ji’Ayir Brown was the first player off the board for San Francisco in the 2023 NFL Draft and the team liked him so much they moved up several spots to make sure they got him. The 49ers have a long list of positives about Brown from all the various evaluators who looked at him, all summed up by the “gold helmet” designation the 49ers hand out to only 15-20 prospects each year who are exemplary in performance, leadership, and intelligence. All of that supersedes Brown’s poor 40 time in their eyes. 

“[Safety coach] Daniel Bullocks said this the other day: A 4.6 can become a 4.4 when you have instincts and you know what’s going on and you anticipate and you have high football IQ,” 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters said via the Athletic’s Matt Barrows. “And that’s what Ji’Ayir is. So, yeah, he ran a 4.6 at the combine, but our (research and development department) says his play speed was actually elite among the safeties in this year’s draft. He was in the 92nd percentile in speed and acceleration on a down-in, down-out basis.”

The 49ers see a ton of parallels between Brown and All-Pro S Talanoa Hufanga, including leadership style, physicality, and sliding in the draft due to their 40 time. Just like with Hufanga who was a fifth-round pick, the 49ers were happy Brown ran a slower 40 time because it increased the chances of him being available. 

“I wasn’t upset that he ran a 4.6, actually,” Peters said. “Because he’s really, to me, a second-round player that probably shouldn’t have gotten to us. Hufanga was the same way. He was an outlier on our board at that point and it made it an easy pick. There are a lot of similarities there.”

Cardinals

Cardinals DC Nick Rallis is looking forward to working with second-round pass-rusher B.J. Ojulari and believes the rookie already possesses a strong skill set.

“As far as on the field ability-wise, I love what Ojulari can do in the pass and run game,” Rallis said, via CardsWire.com. “He’s a very versatile player. I think he’s a very natural pass rusher, and you can see his bend. I think coming off the edge with speed, he can beat you with speed but as soon as he gets overset it’s not, ‘Oh no, what happened?’ He’s very fluid and natural with his counter rushes, and then on top of that he can stick a long arm in there and work moves off his long arms. As far as his rush ability, he’s very versatile and very natural. There is a bit of— how natural is this guy rushing off the edge? He’s very natural. I love the tools that he has in the run game as far as being able to set some violent edges and collapse the edge.”

Seahawks

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba will join a talented Seattle offense with wide receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, as well as Pro Bowl QB Geno Smith, and is excited about what can happen when the group puts it all together.

“Those guys can do it all, but you just add another weapon that can do it all, I think it’s going to be dangerous,” Smith-Njigba said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of TheAthletic.com. “Geno back there slinging it, the potential is crazy. The potential is crazy, and I love playing with great players. I’m blessed to be a Seahawk, and I’m blessed to play in that stadium in front of those fans. We’re gonna light it up for sure.”