Thumbs up or down: Eagles beat writers weigh in on first-round pick DeVonta Smith

Let’s start with the very few quibbles I have with the DeVonta Smith pick. There’s a chance, in a few year’s time, the Eagles regret passing on Justin Fields. If he becomes one the league’s best young quarterbacks, and Jalen Hurts struggles, it will feel like a missed opportunity. If Hurts pans out, Fields’ success or lack thereof won’t matter.

Trading up two spots for a receiver with an unprecedented combination of height and weight doesn’t feel like the most analytically sound decision, but I’m among those who believe Smith will be a very good receiver. Trading up was the only way to get him, too, as proven by the New York Giants trading out of the 11th spot and then reaching for a receiver later in the first round.

Smith has the route-running acumen, the athleticism, and the hands to be a high-volume No. 1 receiver in the NFL. He’s not that tall, but he should be an ideal fit in the Eagles offense when flanked by Jalen Reagor, Dallas Goedert, and Greg Ward. You could argue he was the most natural fit into the Eagles current cast of pass catchers, even more so than Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle.

He’s only 6 feet, but he’s been able to pull off contested catches in the SEC because of his ball skills. His releases off the line of scrimmage and ability to separate should make his transition to the pros much smoother than other receivers.

The Eagles overthought their wide receiver pick last year when taking Reagor over Justin Jefferson. This year, they avoided making the same mistake.

The Eagles gave up a fair amount to acquire Smith, but the selection can’t be assessed without factoring in the March trade back that netted the team a first-rounder next year. If the Eagles had stood pat at No. 6 and wanted a receiver, Smith may have still been the pick. They did have to forfeit a third-rounder to move from No. 12 to 10, but it was likely necessary with the Giants seemingly poised to take the Alabama receiver at No. 11.

The Dolphins, the Eagles’ initial trade partner, took Smith’s teammate, Jaylen Waddle, with the sixth pick. He may prove to be the better NFL receiver. But will the difference between the two be worth the cost of moving up? Time will tell. The same could be said of the future of the two cornerbacks, Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn, the Eagles could have also had at No. 6.

But Howie Roseman needed to get a blue chipper with the first pick, and, by most estimates, Smith has the potential. I reached out to a half dozen NFL evaluators, and each one gushed over the receiver, although most had him rated as the third-best at his position, behind Ja’Marr Chase and Waddle. One senior scout factored the city-player match into his assessment.

“His personality and mental makeup fits the city of Philly perfectly,” the scout said of Smith. “Smooth, fluid, and crafty. Faster than you think because of how smooth he is. My player comp for him is Isaac Bruce.

“Bruce was 174 coming out and grew into his grown-man body. I think DeVonta will do the same. Doubt he ever gets to 190, but he’ll get into the 180s at some point.”

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The 6-foot Smith weighed 166 pounds at his Pro Day. Some scouts questioned why a major program such as Alabama couldn’t bulk him up, but one general manager said that a natural slowing of Smith’s metabolism should allow him to add weight in the pros.

“He’s been skinny his whole life and made it this far,” the senior scout said. “He knows how to play with it. It only bothers us outsiders.”

Smith will start right away and likely rise to the depth chart as the No. 1 receiver. It’ll be interesting to see how Jalen Reagor responds to the competition, but if it doesn’t bring out the best in him, it should give the Eagles an early indication on his future prospects.

There’s an argument against drafting receivers in the top 10. Teams just don’t do it as much anymore. It had been four years since it occurred, and, judging by the three receivers taken in the first 10 picks of that draft, it’s easy to see why. Corey Davis and Mike Williams have been relatively productive, but they haven’t exactly warranted the expenditure. John Ross has been a bust.

Smith, and Chase and Waddle, should be judged on their own accord, but the history of drafting receivers in the top 10 isn’t good. Since the 1970 NFL merger, 54 receivers have been drafted as high, but only two have gone on to win Super Bowls with their original teams, Torry Holt and Mike Evans. The Falcons’ Julio Jones came darn close.

Three have become Hall of Famers: James Lofton, Tim Brown, and Calvin Johnson. Holt may eventually get in. Larry Fitzgerald and Jones will be in Canton someday. Maybe Evans, too. But there have been some spectacular misses over that span. Kevin White, Justin Blackmon, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Ross have been the most recent examples.

There have also been a number who have developed into quality receivers, such as Amari Cooper, A.J. Green, and Evans. But there are just as many or more mid-tier guys who didn’t move the needle, such as Sammy Watkins, Tavon Austin, or Davis. I’m taking this analysis into an anecdotal wormhole, as there are many variables that factor into the success of a receiver, such as having a quality quarterback.

The Eagles passed on quarterbacks Justin Fields and Mac Jones, and it’s fair to wonder how long it will be before Smith has a quality one throwing to him, but Jalen Hurts will get the first try.

It’s otherwise hard to find direct evidence against the selection. The Eagles’ process was sound. The prospect was productive at the highest level of the college game and produced in the biggest moments. And there appear to be zero off-the-field concerns. Roseman may have emphasized the position based on previous errors, but that has little to do with Smith. He looks like a probable stud.

If the Eagles are wrong about Smith, a lot of other NFL people are as well. One general manager I texted with called him the best route-runner in the draft, and said that he had no personality/character concerns. The only concern is his frame, which could be limiting in some situations — DeSean Jackson eventually grew less bold over the middle than he was early in his career — but Smith isn’t going to get eaten up by press coverage. Hard to see him becoming a bust.

The biggest possibility this doesn’t turn out to be an optimal pick lies in two situations: The Eagles’ quarterbacking and their cornerback play.

The decision to see how Jalen Hurts does this year before drafting a QB meant the Eagles apparently gave very little thought to drafting Justin Fields, who went 11th to the Bears, or Mac Jones, 15th to the Patriots. Nothing is more important than a franchise quarterback. If either of those guys turns out to be one, and Hurts does not, Smith was not the best choice at 10th overall.

Then, there is the fact that, after the Eagles drafted Smith, they opted not to dip into the cornerback position until the fourth round, 123rd overall, where they took Zech McPhearson, who had to transfer from Penn State to Texas Tech to become a starter. The Eagles’ best corner is 30-year-old Darius Slay. They don’t have much otherwise.

» READ MORE: Brian Baldinger on the Eagles’ draft: Landon Dickerson is good enough to beat out Jason Kelce

If you draft the corner first (trade down in the first and take Caleb Farley? Greg Newsome II? Eric Stokes?) then you might still get a pretty good wide receiver with whatever you got for trading down, and you can still draft center/guard Landon Dickerson 37th overall in the second round. Of course, that entails welcoming perhaps more risk, at multiple draft positions. I’m not saying it’s a better idea than what the Eagles did. But, hey, it might be.

The Eagles’ roster situation means evaluating this 10th overall pick in five or 10 years will involve more than whether Smith turns out to be good, which I think he will be.

Unless you’re completely convinced that Jalen Hurts can’t play and that the Eagles should’ve drafted Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, there’s nothing not to like about the selection of Smith. He’s the franchise’s smartest first-round decision since they took Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in 2013.

The Eagles traded down from 6 to 12 after realizing Kyle Pitts and Ja’Marr Chase would be off the board. They targeted four players at 12 — Smith, fellow Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn.

Waddle went sixth to the Dolphins, Horn eighth to the Panthers, and Surtain ninth to the Broncos. With the Giants poised to take Smith at 11, and the Eagles looking at another trade down, Howie Roseman shrewdly traded up to 10 (with the Cowboys no less) and grabbed Smith away from the Giants.

Smith weighs just 166 pounds but played 54 straight games at Alabama. So he can take a licking and keep on ticking. He’s going to make the Eagles’ offense, particularly his former Alabama teammate Hurts, better the moment he steps on the field.

He can play inside or outside. He’s sure-handed. He has the speed to get behind a secondary. He is fearless in traffic. He’s a yards-after-the-catch threat. He is a foot-dragging magician on sideline routes.

Smith will quickly become Hurts’ go-to guy because he can be trusted to get open against any kind of coverage. Put down at least 75 catches and 1,000 receiving yards for him right here right now. And look for an Eagles offense that finished 26th in scoring last year to move into the top 12.