Draft Analysis: DeVonta Smith

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 175
College: Alabama
Tape watched: LSU,
NFL Comparison: Calvin Ridley

Pros

Hands
DeVonta Smith rarely drops passes. He is a true hand-catcher that shows both soft touch and aggressive nature when attacking the ball in the air. He made a lot of catches coming back to the ball at Alabama, and showed his ability to get his hands under the ball to protect it from hitting the ground. His 2020 game against Georgia is a clinic on how to help your quarterback out by coming back to throws and making combat catches.

Route Running
Smith ran just about every route you want from a senior receiver. He is extremely effective at breaking down and snapping back hitches and comeback routes. He shows smooth hips through his square cuts and he uses great body and head fakes at the top of his route stems.
Size/Body Control
While one of the smaller framed receivers in the class, Smith has excellent control in the air. He is able to fight through contact and protect the ball. He shows a good ability to adjust on the fly, making spectacular in-air grabs.
YAC
Slippery is the best way to describe DeVonta Smith with the football. He has shifty but smooth hips and cuts through holes in the defense. He seems to always have a plan after the catch, and rarely goes backwards with the ball. My favorite part is his desire for contact, and often lowers the shoulder and attacks defenders.

Release
Between his high slot usage and the respect he saw from outside cornerbacks, there isn’t a lot of tape showing his release versus press coverage. What he repeatedly showed was his patience and excellent ability to minimize his contact area while manipulating his shoulders towards favorable contact. Smith is a good hand-fighter, and prevents solid punches from corners.

Smith keeps his outside shoulder from the defender at release, and uses the same shoulder and elbow to create space at the top of his route without penalty. Excellent rep.

Cons

Blocking
Smith won’t offer much positives in the blocking game. Already undersized at 175lb, Smith takes poor angles, lunges at defenders, and relies on extending his arm and pushing defenders. While it is a large con in his game, do you really need one of the best 2020 receivers blocking for you? Blocking is a non-issue for his draft stock, although he should improve at the next level.

Strength
DeVonta Smith may struggle initially with the strength of NFL corners. Defenders were able to ride Smith out of bounds on his outside releases if he couldn’t stack them right away. Smith will most likely have a high slot usage in his rookie year, so he should have time to improve his outside game.

This play was deemed defensive pass interference, but it was pretty good coverage, If the corner transitions his phases a fraction quicker and turns inside it would be perfect coverage. Smith struggles with inside leverage on the numbers.

Overview

DeVonta Smith is one of the premier playmaking athletes in the draft. He is the only skill player to be nominated for the Heisman, and one the AP College Football Player of the Year Award. A top route runner with great hands, expect Smith to make an impact in year one, much like a Justin Jefferson breakout in 2020. Smith should be a no-brainer first round selection come April.