The Alabama Crimson Tide have arguably the best wide receiver corps in the country and quite possibly in Alabama football history. With names such as Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III dominating the conversation in this realm all offseason, one name consistently got lost in the shuffle, that being junior receiver, DeVonta Smith.
Smith, who is as reliable as they come, is having quite the season thus far. He is currently tied for second in touchdowns nationally with 8, 5th in receiving yards with 537 and 8th in receiving yards per game with 107.4.
Related: DeVonta Smith draft projection
His hype, or lack thereof, reached a crescendo this past Saturday with a touchdown barrage of five, and did so with time to spare. This performance led to many speculating that Smith should indeed vault into the first round.
Not quite.
According to an AFC scouting director, he not only doesn’t see Smith as a first-rounder, but likely a mid-round selection. As noted in Albert Breer’s column in Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback, the scout had this to say,
“Not very strong and REALLY skinny, but he’s a good athlete with good speed. Will drop the football too, that’s been a problem. He’s a solid mid-round player, but you worry when he’s not surrounded by all that talent, if his deficiencies show up a lot more.”
This may be soothing words for Tide coach, Nick Saban who constantly warns his players of muting the outside noise and distractions colloquially dubbed as “rat poison.”
As for Smith, it could be more motivation to continue putting in the necessary work and prove doubters wrong.
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