He has gone from the most overlooked receiver to the best weapon in college football.
Unless he has a media viewing period, DeVonta Smith does not talk much at all. He spends countless hours after practice catching balls out of a jug machine. His hands are positioned at different angles to make sure he snatches passes from Mac Jones, no matter where the ball comes in. He has pushed through three phases at Alabama, from making the game-winning touchdown catch as a true freshman to being the leading receiver for yards (1,256) and scores (14) through 13 games in the 2019 campaign.
Now a senior, Smith has perfected everything.
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When dissecting his game tape or watching him in person, NFL scouts and draft analysts cannot find a single flaw.
Not only is he the best with routes, but Smith also has the hands, speed, toughness, leaping abilities and blocking skills to make him an all-around receiver. He caught 11 passes for 167 yards with two scores in Alabama’s 41-24 win over Georgia, including six receptions in the second quarter with one touchdown.
His 13-yard grab for a score in the fourth quarter was the one that identifies what he has been throughout his tenure for the Crimson Tide.
Smith elevated over Eric Stokes of the Bulldogs, plucked the ball out the air, got a foot in bounds and secured the catch. His quarterback referred to him as someone with ‘Michael Jordan-level competitiveness’ as he put the team on his back.
Per Jaylen Waddle, it has become the norm for Smith to make difficult catches.
DeVonta Smith is really, really good…that’s really all you can say. pic.twitter.com/rIYop9K6zM
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 18, 2020
“We don’t consider those 50/50 balls when Smitty goes after them,” Waddle said on Tuesday. “For one, our position coach… if the ball is thrown to you, he expects you to catch it. That is our mentality in that room. Smitty is just one of the best at it, if not the best at those type of balls.”
Regardless of him arriving at Alabama with Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, Smith may finish his career as the best receiver in program history.
He is currently sixth all-time for receptions (156), sixth for receiving yards (2,592) and second for touchdown catches (27). The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder is four scores away from tying Amari Cooper (31) for first all-time in Tide history.
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Even with having Jeudy and Ruggs, Jim Nagy — Executive Director of Reese’s Senior Bowl — felt that Smith was the Tide’s most complete receiver of the group. He still believes it as he and the Senior Bowl committee named Smith as its Co-Senior of the Week on Offense for his efforts against Georgia. Smith is on the Top 250 watch list for the 2021 Senior Bowl.
This week’s Co-Senior of the Week on Offense is Reese’s Senior Bowl Top 250 member @DeVontaSmith_6 from @AlabamaFTBL – Bringing in 11 catches for 167yds and 2TDs in the #RollTide takeover vs Georgia 41-24.
???#BuiltByBama#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/RTs7qqr3Ce— Reese’s Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) October 19, 2020
He make the routine catches very simple and the difficult ones too easy.
On Monday, Patrick Surtain II told local reporters that Smith perfect his catches in practice.
“He works on his hands every day,” Surtain said of Smith. “For a defensive back, he is very hard to guard. Especially when you have tight coverage on him and he makes a catch like that, it is unbelievable.”
Smith leads Alabama in receptions (38) and is tied for first in touchdowns (four) this year.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
