NFL Draft 2021: Eagles trace they will not take heed to this criticism when evaluating DeVonta Smith

The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t made the very best early-round alternatives on huge receivers over the past two years, whether or not harm or poor efficiency performed an element of their draft failures is up for debate. The third time stands out as the appeal for normal supervisor Howie Roseman, because the Eagles are able to land one of many high three wideouts on this 12 months’s class. 

DeVonta Smith is among the huge receivers in play for the Eagles, whether or not they commerce as much as choose him or if he slides to No. 12 due to his listed weight (166). The Eagles by no means talked about Smith specifically when discussing their means of analysis of huge receivers, nevertheless it was clear who Roseman was referring to when requested earlier this week a couple of receiver who could also be an outlier in relation to peak, weight, or velocity.

“Good gamers are available in all sizes and styles,” Roseman stated on a convention name earlier this week. “And so we’re not going to discriminate primarily based on any of these issues.” 

No matter Smith’s dimension, the Heisman Trophy winner is a actually a lock to go within the top-15 of this draft. Smith is among the high three receivers on this draft class, subsequent to Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle. He recorded 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns in 13 video games for the Crimson Tide final season, averaging 15.9 yards per catch. Not solely did Smith file essentially the most receiving yards and landing catches in SEC historical past, he had simply seven drops on 268 catchable targets in his profession. 

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Whereas Smith’s weight causes concern about his sturdiness, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has an intensive background with huge receivers. Sirianni additionally did not point out Smith, nevertheless it was clear who he was speaking about when how he needed to make use of his wideouts. The Eagles coach has used several types of receivers to play the “X” and Z,” which inserts Smith’s profile. 

“I’ve had totally different X’s. I’ve had T.Y. Hilton who was 5-foot-9, 180 kilos. He performed X for us. I’ve had Dwayne Bowe who was 6-2, 220 kilos. He performed X for us. I had Keenan Allen who was 6-3, 200,” Sirianni stated. “All these guys that I am saying, TY was quick; Keenan was fast, not quick; Dwayne Bowe was highly effective. All of them performed totally different.

“So it is only a matter of can that man do what you need, that particular person to do on the surface. Actually while you say X, it is can he win one-on-one match-ups persistently. … He is higher as a result of it is one-on-one on the market, and that man seems to be totally different all throughout the league.”

The Eagles will discover a number of methods to make use of Smith and maximize his distinctive abilities, similar to how they plan to make use of 2020 first-round decide Jalen Reagor. Philadelphia is not involved over the one “purple flag” concerning the best receiver on this draft class.