Jeremiah Smith didn’t wait long to remind everyone why he sits atop the wide receiver class. In Ohio State’s 56-3 rout of Ball State in Week 1, he piled up eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, then punctuated one score with a Heisman pose that only added to the buzz. Around the league, that kind of start is only sharpening the conversation about where the Buckeye star could land in the 2027 NFL Draft.
The latest mock drafts are treating Smith as the top non-quarterback in the class, and two of the most notable landing spots both come with a simple theme: he could change everything for a team in need of a centerpiece.
Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department has Smith going first overall to Miami. Brent Sobleski points out that the Dolphins are projected to have next year’s No. 1 pick and notes that quarterback would normally be in play, but Malik Willis’ two-year deal changes the calculation.
As Sobleski wrote: "The Miami Dolphins are the NFL's least talented squad, hence why they're projected to own next year's No. 1 overall draft pick. Obviously, a quarterback should be in play, but Malik Willis did sign a two-year deal.
Instead, Miami selects the class' No. 1 overall prospect, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, to give Willis a legitimate weapon."
That’s the heart of the Miami case. If the Dolphins are picking that high, the quarterback situation may still be unsettled. But if Willis gives them enough reason to stay patient, Smith would instantly become the kind of player who changes the look of the offense and gives Miami a true headliner.
CBS Sports has a different AFC West? No - a different destination entirely, but the same basic idea.
Ryan Wilson has Smith going No. 2 overall to Arizona, which would put him in the same receiver room as Marvin Harrison Jr. unless Harrison Jr. becomes the odd man out. Wilson wrote: "Smith is better than Marvin Harrison Jr. coming out of Ohio State.
And if the rest of the 2026 season goes like 2024 and 2025, the comps to Julio Jones, Megatron and/or Terrell Owens will intensify. Obviously, the Cards could be in the QB business here unless Carson Beck pulls a Tyler Shough in 2026."
Arizona’s situation is a little cleaner than Miami’s if Carson Beck proves he can handle the job. If that happens, the Cardinals could shift from quarterback hunting to stacking weapons, and Smith would make that offense far more dangerous. The idea of Smith alongside Harrison Jr., Jeremiyah Love and Trey McBride is enough to make any defensive coordinator wince.
I also slotted Smith to Miami at No. 2 overall in my latest full first-round mock, for the same reason: if Willis plays well, the Dolphins still have to decide whether they can pass on a talent like Smith. He wouldn’t just add another target. He would give them a player an offense can be built around.
It’s still early, and the college season has barely started, but Smith’s Week 1 explosion only strengthened the case. The quarterback talk will dominate the 2027 draft build-up, but Smith looks like the player who could alter an offense the fastest.
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