DeVonta Smith adds to impressive 2021 NFL Draft resume.
Even though he was considered a first-round prospect heading into the 2020 season, perhaps no player has upgraded their 2021 NFL Draft stock (outside of the quarterback position) more than Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
Smith does not look like a traditional WR1. He’s 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, but that appearance is obviously deceptive.
Smith is the best wide receiver in college football, and he’s been getting it done in impressive fashion over the last two years, even with Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle competing for snaps.
Smith really started to emerge in his sophomore season with multiple games at or over 100 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He really started to gain traction as an elite playmaker at receiver in 2019 when he had multiple games with over 200 receiving yards, including 11 receptions for 274 yards and five touchdowns against Mississippi.
Through nine games of the 2020 season, Smith has established himself as the best receiver in college football and quite likely a top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Smith has been dominant all year, catching 80 passes for 1,305 yards and 15 touchdowns in the first nine games of the season.
Against Arkansas, Alabama was able to get some other players out onto the field to preserve the health of their starting group, but not before Smith put yet another signature play on his highlight reel. This time, it was the first punt return touchdown of his college career.
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Smith is just so impressive every single time he takes the field. He obviously runs great routes, is explosive, is much better in contested catch situations than his size would indicate, and he clearly has the type of long speed that will make him an instant-impact player at the next level.
Every week it looks like this guy is an NFL player slumming it with the boys on Saturday. Smith has developed into a complete player who really is good at everything he is asked to do.
His 2021 NFL Draft stock is soaring.