Breaking Down the Potential Role for Arian Smith in the Jets Offense

The New York Jets went back to the drawing board on Saturday and drafted wide receiver Arian Smith with their No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This is a pick that many fans are quite questionable about. After knocking it out of the park with their first two picks of the draft, acquiring Armand Membou and Mason Taylor, the Jets picked up their first questionable pick in the third round when they picked Azareye’h Thomas.

Fast forward to their fourth-round pick, and the Jets once again selected another headscratcher. You never want to be overly negative when it comes to the NFL Draft picks, especially before giving the rookie a fair chance to step on the field and show what he’s got, but this is one of those picks that we don’t know how to feel. Anyways, here’s how Smith fits into the Jets offense.

Analyzing How Arian Smith Fits Into The NY Jets Offense

With their No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jets selected wide receiver Arian Smith out of Georgia. Smith was widely regarded as a late Day 3 pick, or even in some cases an undrafted free agent. However, let’s look at what is perhaps his biggest upside: his speed.

Arian Smith has speed that is simply undeniable. He averaged nearly 20 yards per catch in college and shows the kind of field-stretching ability that forces defenses to pay attention to the deep ball. His speed will put him above and beyond in the NFL. However, the rest of his game is a major work in progress.

As a wide receiver, Smith is far from a natural pass-catcher. He recorded 10 drops last season on just 48 catches. He struggles to catch in traffic, and struggles getting physical with defensive backs. The Jets are banking on his speed to be a game-changing trait, despite his poor pass-catching ability.

However, this pick was certainly questionable. There were more complete wide receivers on the board such as Utah State’s Jaley Royals, and Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor. If they wanted to go in a different direction, there was still a great impact tackle on the board like Indiana’s CJ West. Looking at the Jets decision to take a wide receiver like Smith who’s only real positive is his speed, it’s just tough to swallow.

Nonetheless, the Smith pick bolsters the Jets lackluster wide receiver room. Smith has the speed to pop a few big plays, but banking on him to become a reliable contributor feels like a huge gamble. Especially when there were more polished and more complete prospects still available, especially at the wide receiver position.

Smith brings a skillset the Jets do currently lack in their wide receiver room: true, game-changing agility and speed. In 2024, Smith finished with 48 catches for 817 yards and four touchdowns in his lone season as a starter at Georgia, showcasing his ability to stretch defenses on plays down the field.

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