Waking up this morning, I didn’t think I would see a DeVonta Smith stat that would completely blow my mind while also make me question everything I thought I knew about NFL wide-receivers. Shame on me for thinking I had a firm grip on my brain.
The last WR taller than 6-foot and lighter than 180 pounds to get picked in the NFL Draft?
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) February 26, 2021
Snoop Minnis (3rd Rd., Chiefs, 2001).
DeVonta Smith is going to be a fun case study his entire career.
Predictably, my response to seeing this was this.
Absolutely unreal that a player with the dimensions of DeVonta Smith hasn’t been drafted since 2001 since the former All-American from Florida St., Snoop Minnis. This is certainly interesting company that the current Heisman Trophy winner finds himself in.
We’ve seen the picture of Smith standing on the sideline where he’s standing straight up but his arms look like they’re touching the ground.
This picture lends itself to the idea that Smith is in fact not a large person. His current measurables that I found have Smith listed at 6’1″,174 lbs. Those are numbers that might make some feel the heebie-jeebies, but you probably try and make a comparison to another player in the NFL. That’s where this stat rushes in and asks you to take a seat. There isn’t anyone in the NFL built quite like Smith and there hasn’t been someone like him in 20 years. Yes, there have been receivers that were close to his measurements. I’m not saying those don’t exist. I’m sure you’ve all heard about a billion times by now that Smith reminds everyone of Marvin Harrison. You just think there were tons of guys in the league that are over 6’0″,180lbs
Now, let’s not act like this is going to have that much of an impact on where DeVonta Smith gets drafted. Smith is going to anywhere from 3- 8 in the upcoming NFL Draft. I can’t say for sure if Smith will be selected before Ja’Marr Chase. As of writing this, there seems to be a bit of a groundswell trending into Chase being the first receiver chosen. As a Dolphin’s fan, I wouldn’t hate Smith at 3 but I’d prefer not to take a receiver that high.
Smith has a ton going for him, even if his frame is a bit of a unicorn. He’s the first receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard did it back in 1991. Smith may have just put up the greatest season for a wide receiver in college football history and he demolished the Buckeyes to the tune of 215 yards along with 3 scores in the first half of the National Championship Game.
future @miamidolphins WR deVonta smith put on a show at hard rock stadium monday night when he caught 12/15 targets for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns.
— josh houtz (@houtz) January 12, 2021
here’s a look at every catch from deVonta smith’s record-setting first half. #finsup pic.twitter.com/7Ss5RuWyZi
He’s slight right now but we all know he’ll put on some weight as he gets older. Also, the NFL is built for guys like him. If this was the mid-90s, Smith would get broken into pieces going over the middle. That’s a thing of the past.
Still though, that stat was jarring.
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