Eagles’ DeVonta Smith earned admiration for being ‘all work.’ Just ask those who played softball with him.

The tunnel that connects the clubhouse to the baseball field at Coca-Cola Park is tight and cramped, with short ceilings and dull concrete walls.

This space is typically occupied and navigated by the Phillies’ triple-A team in Allentown. But on Saturday, a large group of Eagles players temporarily shuffled through the hallways that are precisely hidden from the public eye, tucked underneath the bleachers.

Moments before the group stepped onto the field to participate in DeVonta Smith’s annual charity softball game, Smith surveyed the tunnel and huddled his teammates together.

With his arms hanging over the shoulders of teammates Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert, Smith barked out a brief, but impactful message: “I love y’all boys! Let’s go out there and have some fun!”

» READ MORE: Eagles’ DeVonta Smith says he’s always ‘humbly’ seen himself as a top-10 receiver

Smith then walked briskly up the dugout steps and onto the grass, the elated roar of 10,000-plus fans greeting him, their shouts trailing his every movement. The cheers for Smith hit a fortissimo, reaching a decibel output that gave the speakers affixed across the stadium and blasting Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” a run for their money.

“Smitty has been awesome,” Goedert said. “What he brings on the field, you know what you’re going to get and that’s a ... hardworking teammate. You see that day in, day out, week in, week out. His performance in the Super Bowl [seven catches, 100 receiving yards], he does that routinely.

“Off the field, he’s just an incredible dude that has a lot of great friends that support him. It just goes to show how solid of a person he is. We have players from the Cowboys and Giants coming all the way up here to support him. You’ve got Hall of Famers here. It’s just really cool that he can have that much pull and do it for a good cause.”

At 24 years old, Smith has solidified himself as a top contributor on the Eagles, and the typically reserved wideout is attempting to embrace everything that comes with his stardom. He acknowledged the loud reception by pumping his lengthy arms as if he were begging the crowd for more.

Smith was meticulous in planning his second annual celebrity softball game — with funds raised from the event donated to St. Luke’s Health Network. He noted that he chose this venue in the Lehigh Valley “because training camp used to be here, so it’s a perfect fit.”

» READ MORE: Terrell Owens offers praise for Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith at charity softball game

Throughout the afternoon, Smith and his invited crew put on a show. Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens belted a home run. Hurts struck out Giants running back Saquon Barkley on three swings and misses. In the subsequent inning, Hurts danced the popular “Griddy” on his way to home plate. Before the festivities concluded, Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell and Smith smacked back-to-back home runs for good measure.

All told, Team Smith claimed a 14-5 victory over Team Dotson, which was led by Penn State alumnus and Washington Commanders receiver Jahan Dotson.

“We love it, man, that was one of his biggest priorities when he got drafted and moved up to Philly,” said Vincent Sanders, Smith’s longtime mentor who played a key role in helping organize the event.

“He always told me as a young teenager, he wanted to give back to the community. His goal was to establish something with the youth that would grow bigger and bigger every year.”

On the football field, Smith has rapidly evolved and catapulted himself into the game’s top tier of wide receivers. After the Eagles traded up to select him with their top selection at No. 10 in the 2021 NFL draft, Smith has produced consecutive, record-breaking seasons. In his inaugural season, he set a franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie (916). After the team’s acquisition of fellow star receiver A.J. Brown this past season, Smith broke a franchise record for single-season receptions (95) by a wide receiver.

“You can tell he’s a pro’s pro,” Eagles team captain Brandon Graham said of Smith. “He’s somebody who’s kind of already been in a system similar to what we do as pros in terms of maturity. He came in and it was easy. It’s been a nice transition for him. As a veteran, that’s what you want in a rookie. You want a guy to come in and feel as comfortable as he was at Alabama.

“We know that with Smitty and Jalen and those guys, we have some greats on the offense, man. We have something special going, but we have to make sure we put it all together.”

Added kicker Jake Elliott: “It’s so fun playing with Smitty. He’s consistent. Every time I show up, he’s always the first one in the building, he’s already done with a full workout when I get in at 6:30 a.m. He’s just so consistent. Such a good dude, such a good teammate, there are no frills with him — he’s all work.”

It was an all-weekend affair for Smith’s team. In addition to his softball game, he hosted an opening cocktail reception at Bankroll in Center City, along with a celebratory after-party at NOTO in Chinatown.

“This been quite a ride with Smitty,” Gainwell said. “We came in this together, we both had that goal to strive and succeed. We told each other we wanted to be the best draft class ever. I feel good having Smitty on my side.”

According to league sources, the Eagles already have begun road-mapping the looming puzzle of retaining Smith on a long-term basis. His rookie deal expires in 2024, and it carries a fifth-year option the Eagles can choose to exercise. That might seem far away, but the team has identified him as a franchise-altering weapon they plan to prioritize come contract time.

The already-booming wide receiver market could reset again when Smith and his 2021 first-round draft peers, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle — who was in attendance at Smith’s softball game — become eligible to sign contract extensions for the first times.

“Being here for Smitty, this is special,” said Waddle, Smith’s former teammate at Alabama. “I’ve seen his growth up close and how far he’s came — all of this is part of his journey. He’s built to continue to do great things.”

» READ MORE: Inside DeVonta Smith’s 5 a.m. workouts and how he embraces a future with the Eagles

Veteran cornerback James Bradberry, who re-signed as a free agent this spring, discussed his unique relationship with Smith and why the competitiveness that Smith regularly exudes represented an added incentive for him to return to the Eagles.

“I’m familiar with his personality — that being I’m kind of quiet myself,” Bradberry said. “So when I’m around him, I’ll try to spark up a conversation and we’ll be chopping it up for a long time. He’s also a great player, too. I’m always watching him, his elite footwork, and seeing how I can improve my game.

“I always got to the stadium, I feel like pretty early. But he gets there earlier than I do. I always see him in the weight room doing extra things. I respect his game and I respect the work he puts in. When I made my decision to re-sign in Philadelphia, having teammates like that made me happy to be here for the foreseeable future.”

With just over a month until the start of training camp, Smith plans to resume his training from his offseason base in Tampa, where he shares a home with Sanders. Smith wants to assure he arrives for camp in pristine shape in order to handle the grueling NFL calendar with the Eagles aspiring to return to the Super Bowl. Over his first two seasons, Smith hasn’t missed a single game.

This campaign is bound to be filled with plenty of emotions for Smith and his longtime girlfriend Mya Danielle. They recently announced they’re expecting a baby girl. Smith described the news as a blessing as he heads into Year 3.

“Everything he does in life, he’s just always striving to improve,” Sanders said. “He’s going to be a great father because he comes from great people. It’s a family environment everywhere he goes, and honestly that’s why his approach to football is always about getting better in every facet.”