“Difficult to find a weakness in Jeremiah Smith’s game”: Draft analyst praises the best WR prospect
The Ohio State receiver continues to elevate the conversation around him as his name gains momentum ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft.
J eremiah Smith is entering a stage of his college career where every performance can shift the conversation about his future. And as scouts take a closer look at what he could bring to the NFL, there is one question that is becoming especially difficult to answer: where is his weakness?
A prospect who doesn't rely on just one strength
Draft analyst Jacob Infante ran into that same problem when evaluating Smith, writing: “genuinely difficult to find a weakness in Jeremiah Smith’s game.”
The reason comes down to the number of tools he brings to the same profile. Smith stands 6'3" and weighs around 225 pounds, but his size is only the starting point .
He can attack deep, find openings when coverage closes in and come down with passes that other receivers simply wouldn't be able to reach. That ability allows him to make catches in places where it initially looked like there was very little room left to make a play.
Against Illinois, Smith put all of it on display
The latest test came on September 26, when Ohio State faced Illinois.
Smith finished the afternoon with 12 receptions for 217 yards and four touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 42-19 win .
The numbers alone show the scale of his performance, but the plays revealed something more interesting about how he got there.
In the first quarter, S mith turned a double move into a 72-yard touchdown , leaving the defender behind before accelerating into the end zone.
His third touchdown showed a completely different skill. He caught the ball in the corner of the end zone with a defender on top of him and completed a toe-tap reception, keeping both feet in bounds.
For his fourth, he won with his movement again. A change of direction left Illinois cornerback Juice Clarke out of position and created enough separation for Smith to complete another touchdown.
Four touchdowns, three different ways of creating an advantage and a performance that set career highs in both receptions and receiving yards.
He also just made Ohio State history
Smith's production against Illinois had another consequence that went beyond the game itself.
With his 217 yards, Smith surpassed 3,000 career receiving yards and became the first player in Ohio State history to reach that mark.
The record matters because it puts his season into a bigger context. Smith isn't just putting together big games; he's building one of the most productive receiving careers the program has seen.
And while that record is now part of Ohio State history, his next step is starting to take shape much farther from Columbus.
Why are the Miami Dolphins part of the conversation?
The Miami Dolphins appear in some 2027 mock draft scenarios with a very high pick , making them one of the teams linked to Smith.
Miami's situation is particularly interesting. After Tua Tagovailoa's departure, the team entered the 2026 season with Malik Willis as its quarterback.
In Infante's mock draft, the Dolphins end up selecting Smith under the assumption that they retain a high draft position . The analyst notes that, in a real scenario, Miami could try to trade the pick, but his exercise does not account for trades, so the team ends up taking the best player available.
The selection also raises an interesting question for the franchise: if Willis manages to convince the team during the 2026 season, Miami could have less reason to use a pick that high on another quarterback and more room to address another position.
That's where Smith becomes an especially intriguing possibility.
Now the pressure is on everything that comes next
Smith still has the rest of the season ahead of him at Ohio State, and his name is also climbing higher in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
His performance against Illinois gave him more ammunition on both fronts , but the bigger question now is what happens over the next few weeks.
