The New York Jets drafted Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith in the fourth round in the 2025 NFL draft. The Jets have taken a chance on the speedster, who has blazing 4.3 speed, but had some drops issues in the past.
Smith came into a situation where he can carve out a significant amount of playing time. The Jets just signed their hopeful franchise quarterback Justin Fields to a three-year deal. Now, they need to find someone to pair up with their star wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
Advertisement
Bleacher Report has named Smith a draft steal already because of his play through training camp. He has been outplaying his draft position.
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt said some encouraging things about the fourth-round draft pick.
“Stood out, making plays against starters and backups,” Rosenblatt said about Smith during camp while working to stymie his drop issue. “If he keeps trending in the right direction, he should soon become a dangerous field-stretching weapon for New York’s new quarterback.”
He caught two out of three targets for 18 yards in his first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Smith drew a team-high three targets. He most notable play came on a deep pass that his quarterback overthrew. Smith had ample separation and could not catch up to the pass. If Smith can continue his positive trajectory towards playing time expect him to be a solid contributor on the New York Jets. At the very least, New York will utilize him as a deep threat.
Advertisement
He currently projects as a depth receiver for the Jets behind Wilson, Allen Lazard, Tyler Johnson and Josh Reynolds, but there’s no doubt that Smith offers more juice than every other Jets receiver outside of Wilson and maybe Lazard.
This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Jets WR Arian Smith named as 2025 NFL draft steal