DeVonta Smith’s 2020 season may be the finest season ever compiled from a wide receiver.
From his dominance over college defenders over the course of all 13 games to becoming the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since 1991 there are many reasons for NFL general managers and coaches to be salivating over the opportunity to add Smith to their receiving corps.
But there is one critique of Smith’s game that was pointed out by NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks where he questioned the receiver’s overall size.
“DeVonta Smith is a great player but the size is a major concern,” Brooks wrote on Twitter. “It’s hard for some scouts to envision drafting a 170 pound (wide receiver) at the top of the board… We haven’t seen a lot of ‘skinny’ (wide receivers) dominate the pro game. It is what it is.”
DeVonta Smith is a great player but the size is a major concern. It’s hard for some scouts to envision drafting a 170 pound WR at the top of the board… We haven’t seen a lot of “skinny” WRs dominate the pro game. It is what it is.. #NFL #NFLDraft https://t.co/a8CCXR8v5u
— Bucky Brooks (@BuckyBrooks) January 26, 2021
These comments came after Smith declined his height and weight measurements at the Reeses Senior Bowl on Tuesday.
His Alabama teammates have praised Smith in the past for being able to play bigger than his size whether it’s winning contested catches or blocking downfield. But the NFL is a much different beast than the college game, where it requires you to be much more physically fit to endure the season.
Smith is currently listed to stand at 6’1″ and weighs 175 lbs according to Alabama’s online roster.
At those measurables, professional teams are all but guaranteed to require the Heisman Trophy winner to put on a few pounds once he joins their franchise.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
