If you ask most fans and analysts about the New York Jets’ 2025 draft class, the general consensus is that the team made just one major risky call to begin Day 3.
Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith was the 110th overall pick in the fourth round for New York. He led the Bulldogs in receiving last season and has the speed teams look for in their offensive weapons.
There’s a reason Smith was a risky pick, though, and the Jets are expecting their coaching staff to turn that risk into a reward quickly.
The Jets take a risk on speed
At first glance, Smith’s final season with the Bulldogs was solid.
The senior caught 48 passes for 817 yards and four touchdowns. The downside to his play is that he dropped 10 passes in his final year with the team—the most for any receiver in the Power Four conferences.
Smith’s play also raised another, more underrated concern. ESPN’s Rich Cimini made it clear why he called the Smith selection a risky one for the Jets.
“The concern with Smith, who led the Bulldogs with 817 receiving yards (a lot on screens), is his long injury history,” Cimini stated. “He’s had a fractured wrist, a torn meniscus in his knee, a broken fibula, and a high-ankle sprain, all of which resulted in three surgeries. He also had some killer drops. This is a risky bet for the Jets.”
Injuries are part of the game for any college athlete. The fact that Smith struggled so much to stay on the field is an issue. The more obvious problem is that he struggled to catch the football whenever he was healthy.
New York, especially head coach Aaron Glenn, believes it can correct the mistakes Smith put on tape throughout his college career. The fact that the receiver is so open about fixing those issues is also a significant positive.
“The one thing about this player, he’s very self-aware, and I think it starts there, and he knows he has to get better at that,” Glenn said. “I’ve lived through this with Jameson Williams, when he came into the league, everybody talked about his drops, and he worked on it tirelessly, every day in practice, and I see this player doing the same thing.
“If you’re self-aware and understand you have an issue, and you know you can get better, that’s the start, so I know this player [will] get better at that.”
Fourth-round picks are never guaranteed to be impactful for any team. They are expected to make the 53-man roster, though.
And with Smith’s struggles in college, coupled with the depth of the rest of the position group.
How Smith can reward the Jets’ gamble
It’s easy to say that all Smith has to do is not drop the football, and he’ll be able to carve a role for himself in the Jets’ offense.
It’s not that simple, though.
Smith joins a Jets’ wide receiver room that is pretty crowded now, all of whom are competing for playing time beyond WR1 Garrett Wilson:
- Allen Lazard
- Tyler Johnson
- Malachi Corley
- Josh Reynolds
- Xavier Gipson
Smith’s skill set as a speedy offensive weapon can match that of Malachi Corley, a third-round pick from just last year. With the Jets under a new regime, the organization may feel more loyal to their most recent draft pick than to one made by a different team.
But as Glenn has notoriously said, any roster spot given will have to be earned for everyone.
Naturally, that includes those who were just drafted.
