WATCH: Garrett Wilson discusses remaining pieces in Ohio State's wide receiver room

On3 imageby:Jonathan Wagner06/19/22

Jonathan Wagner

The Ohio State Buckeyes will lose Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave from its star-studded wide receiver room next season, but there is still plenty of talent remaining. Wilson was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, while Olave went No. 11 overall to the New Orleans Saints.

But even without Wilson and Olave, Ohio State has a lot of talent on offense, and the receiver room is no exception. Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the Buckeyes in receiving last season with 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns. Young wideouts Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka also headline the younger core, and Wilson is excited to see what they can do next season.

Harrison had 11 receptions for 139 yards and three touchdowns last year, while Egbuka had nine catches for 191 yards.

“It’s a great room there is what I’ll say,” Wilson said on The Pivot Podcast. “It’s probably been the best room you can ask for because it’s so – everyone is different. We got a dude like Marvin Harrison Jr. who comes in and he changes the whole room. But we’re already a great room.

“Marvin Harrison comes in the room, a freshman coming in and he changed my whole mindset on how I’m gonna go to work every day, how I’m gonna go practice and how I’m gonna spend my time when I’m outside the facility, back in the facility. He changed my whole perspective on that.”

Wilson on other stars in Ohio State’s receiver room

Last year, Wilson and Olave combined for 135 receptions, 1,994 yards, and 25 touchdowns in Ohio State’s high-powered offense. Replicating that lost production will be no easy feat, but Wilson thinks that Ohio State’s receiver room is good enough to do it.

In Egbuka, Wilson sees a wideout that came in from Day 1 and impressed, both on and off the field.

“You got other dudes like that coming in,” added Wilson. “Emeka Egbuka coming through the room and doing 20 reps of the bench press on the first day. I couldn’t even do 225 one time. It’s just a different room.”

Smith-Njigba is a preseason Phil Steele First Team All-American, and he is also one of the leaders to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy, according to the latest odds. ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. included Smith-Njigba on his 2023 NFL Draft big board, too, putting him at No. 5.

“I’ll say this, Jackson (Smith-Njigba), he’s the best one, for real,” said Wilson. “Like he’s the truth. So I can’t wait to see what he’s gonna do this next year.”