Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith is the latest in a long line of high-profile Crimson Tide pass-catching prospects. Smith began the 2020 college season alongside Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, in what was expected to be the most lethal wide receiver tandem in the nation. And while Waddle’s season was cut short after just four games because of an ankle injury, the duo didn’t disappoint.
With Waddle out of the lineup, Smith has become the unquestioned top skill player on Alabama’s offense and has thrived in that role. It isn’t shocking that he’s had so much success, but it’s still somewhat surprising. At just 175 pounds, wideouts with Smith’s slender frame usually don’t dominate on the level he has.
Through eight games, Smith has 72 catches for 1,074 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has three games with at least 11 receptions and two more with at least eight. Simply put, he’s been unstoppable.
But will NFL teams overlook his lack of bulk and make him the first wide receiver drafted in 2021?
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler published his first mock draft of the year and sent Smith to the Giants at No. 19 overall:
On paper, Smith doesn’t belong in the top-20 conversation due to poor size (175 pounds) and average speed (4.5 seconds in the 40). But on tape, he is one of the more explosive wide receivers in this class with elite ball skills and the feel for the position that leads to production. Smith will make Daniel Jones a better quarterback.
The interesting thing to note here is that Smith is the third wide receiver off the board in Brugler’s mock, behind Ja’Marr Chase (No. 7, Eagles) and Waddle (No. 11, Dolphins).
This feels like the right assessment at this point in the process. Smith has probably done enough to leapfrog Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and maybe even Waddle due to health concerns, but it’s still unlikely that NFL teams will value Smith over a guy like Chase who checks more of the traditional playmaker boxes.
Still, several draft pundits have Smith’s ranking on the rise. The Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling currently has Smith as the No. 2 wide receiver in the class, and The Draft Network has him ranked as the 11th overall player in the class.
I studied Smith’s game during the preseason, which you can read here. I’m excited to dig into his 2020 film soon, but I don’t see my valuation changing much. Smith is a great route-runner. He’s a coordinated athlete. He’s going to make plays after the catch. But he’s still just 175 pounds, and unless that changes, I think the NFL will value a few wideouts ahead of him.
That said, there’s a lot of time between now and draft weekend. If Smith adds a few pounds and blows up at the NFL Combine, he could very easily find himself atop the wide receiver charts and the preferred pick of teams searching for an outside weapon.
