Eagles draft DeVonta Smith: What you need to know about the Alabama wide receiver

The Eagles' brass had no concerns about Smith's small size, pointing to his college production as the rebuttal.

DeVonta Smith speaks onstage after being selected 10th overall by the Eagles.Read moreGregory Shamus / MCT

Published April 30, 2021, 12:05 a.m. ET

It turns out, the Eagles tipped their hand.

During the team’s pre-draft news conference last week, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman both said good wide receivers “come in all shapes and sizes,” indirectly hand-waving the narrative that Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith was too skinny.

On Thursday night, Roseman traded up two spots to get the 166-pound receiver, and Sirianni echoed a similar sentiment about the concerns surrounding Smith’s size.

“He sure as heck doesn’t play like a guy with [the slight frame] you’re talking about,” he said Thursday. “I see a ton of play strength and toughness, that’s what I see with DeVonta over and over again.”

Smith had no trouble with his size in college, winning the Heisman Trophy last season after catching 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 receiving touchdowns in the talent-rich Southeastern Conference.

Roseman said Smith was standing out atop the Eagles’ draft board, which led the team to trade up to get him. It’s likely the New York Giants were targeting Smith with the 11th pick, so the Eagles needed to get ahead of their division rival.

“We had a list of guys we were really targeting in this draft,” Roseman said. “With the amount of picks that we had, the flexibility that we had because of the picks, we felt like it was important to get one of those guys and that’s why we made the trade up to go get one.”

The Giants, still wide-receiver needy after the Eagles leapfrogged them, traded out of the 11th pick with the Chicago Bears in order to net the 20th pick and a first-rounder next year. With the 20th pick, they took Florida receiver Kadarius Toney, whom some had slotted for the second round.

“It’s clear the Eagles jumped in front of Giants to take their player,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said via text message. “[Smith’s] been a number 1 wide receiver and that’s what he will be. Great route runner. Very smooth. Rarely see him take a big hit. Much like Marvin Harrison although I think Marvin was a little thicker. Not as fast as DeSean [Jackson], but wiry like DeSean.”

The primary concern with Smith’s size is his ability to handle physical cornerbacks in press-man coverage. The Eagles are likely counting on him to be able to do what he did against several solid cornerbacks last year: use his athleticism to keep guys from getting their hands on him.

“We saw a player that was a smooth mover, he can open up and run,” Eagles’ vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said. “He’s a player that can win on all three levels with different alignments. I think his ability to high-point the ball, to play above the rim, adjust to the football and make contested catches really stood out.”

The Eagles had an hour-long Zoom interview session with Smith during the Senior Bowl and came away impressed with his personality.

Even though Smith was the third wide receiver off the board behind LSU wideout Ja’Marr Chase and fellow ‘Bama receiver Jaylen Waddle, Smith is considered by many to be the best route-runner in the draft. NFL Network analyst Ben Fennell praised the pick, calling Smith a “culture-changing” player.

[He’s has an] alpha presence and work ethic,” Fennell said. “Excellent route running and elusive YAC threat. Can line up inside or out. Effortless hands.”

When asked if the front office expected to have to trade back up for one of its top players, Roseman conceded that the team expected more quarterbacks to go before the 12th pick when they made the move with the Dolphins on March 26.

“From March to draft day, a lot has changed,” Roseman said. “I think at the time, maybe we thought there would be more quarterbacks, to be honest, going before we picked. ... We had 12 players that we really liked, DeVonta was standing out on our board, his grade, the type of player he is, the type of person he is, we just wanted to make sure that we got him.”

The Eagles’ trade up was spurred by an early run on wide receivers and cornerbacks. Chase went fifth to the Cincinnati Bengals and Waddle went to the Miami Dolphins with the next pick.

Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski said in a text that the Eagles made a “terrific pick,” but said there’s still work to do.

“The Eagles needed to get this right,” Jaworski said. “No guarantee but good move. Giants would have taken Smith. [The 37th pick] has to be good as well. Good depth at corner and O-line.”