Devonta Smith As Good As We Think???

finfanatic wrote:Remember Pat White?



i have to say I was surprised by the 166lbs.  

I thought he was light at 177!

The problem with Pat White wasn't just his size...it's the fact that he sucked! LOL

Not sure why you were surprised by Smith at 166? He said himself he was 170 a few weeks back. The thing with Smith is, there's never been a receiver like him. Sure, there have been small/light receivers before...but he just had arguably the greatest season any college WR has ever had! Size has not been an issue for him in any way - he has no injury history, he's never had a problem getting open, he has consistently beaten press coverage - and he has hands, arm length, work ethic and route running skills that most receivers can only dream of. I hear a lot of people say that a receiver that light has never succeeded in the NFL - but to that I say, there's never been a receiver of any size that accomplished what he did at Alabama. Smith is a new type of receiver for the NFL - there's literally never been anyone like him. For a receiver to do what he did at that size, at the top level in college football, just doesn't happen. Sure, it's a bit of a risk - but no player is a sure thing. I have always been OK taking a chance on greatness.

CarsonChris wrote:There were already disgruntled players wondering why Tua was placed into the starting role last year without earning it. Add in a receiver that says Mac Jones is better and you are going to have chatter about Tua's ability to play the game.

I expect Devonta to explode like a bird hit by a Randy Johnson pitch when an NFL safety squares him up.

I'd love to know who all these "disgruntled" players were when the Dolphins were going 6-3 with their rookie QB. That story sounded like bullshit at the time, and I've never seen any proof that it happened. But even if it did - who cares? He's the QB. Way passed time for everyone to get used to it.

And no one cares what DeVonta Smith said about Mac Jones. It has no bearing on Tua or the Dolphins in any way. It's the media trying to make something out of nothing...fake news at it's finest. And again, Smith said he'd love to play with Tua again so that kinda makes the whole thing meaningless.

That Randy Johnson video is classic! But college football is filled with players that tried to knock out Smith - and no one ever did. There's absolutely zero evidence to suggest that he is injury-prone.

given the increased rules against defenses (more PI, defenseless WR hits, no contact to the head or with helmet crown) to the benefit of the passing game, i don't think bulk makes nearly the difference in today's NFL. i believe short area burst and quick cuts in and out of breaks are far more important (separation)...and as always, sure hands.

And for the record, the all-world, biggest and baddest player ever, Kyle Pitts, missed games with a concussion on a hit that also required him to have surgery on his nose. Maybe he's too small to handle NFL hits???

It's a big step from college to the pros. I'm not worried about him being knocked the fuck out. I'm more interested in seeing how he is handled physically by the coverage at the line. He's a hell of a player, so if he can be elusive there and not get jammed, it'll be great.

Degarmo wrote:It's a big step from college to the pros.  I'm not worried about him being knocked the fuck out.  I'm more interested in seeing how he is handled physically by the coverage at the line.  He's a hell of a player, so if he can be elusive there and not get jammed, it'll be great.

Smith's work at the line is very impressive. If he can't juke the defender, he uses his long arms to get separation. It was almost impossible to jam him at the line in college, and almost every time teams tried they got burned. We'll see if that translates to the NFL, but he certainly seems to have the technique down.

JMP wrote:And for the record, the all-world, biggest and baddest player ever, Kyle Pitts, missed games with a concussion on a hit that also required him to have surgery on his nose.  Maybe he's too small to handle NFL hits???  

Well, Smith got his pinky jammed in the Naitional Championship game and had to miss the 2nd half! He is too fragile for the NFL. And look how he let his team down by not playing thru a jammed finger!!



If you saw the hit you would never say anything derogatory about Pitts! I was watching live and thought he and the DB were both gonna be paralyzed or dead!

If Smith took THAT HIT, he would be out of football IMO.

The concerns about his weight do have some validity. Just like the concerns that Pitts is a TE are valid.

Smith could have played the second half - but he had like 200 yards in the first half, so his day was likely done regardless!

I did see the Pitts hit. The point is, any player can get hurt even if they are the biggest, strongest player on the planet. Smith had no significant injuries in college despite the fact that he doesn't weigh a lot - while Pitts had a significant injury despite the fact that he's huge. Size doesn't have anything to do with injuries.

OK, JMP. I thought you were denigrating Pitts for a hit that would have laid out most any player.

I have no problem with any of the top guys.

I have said if it were up to me, I would take Waddle. I think he is as close to Tyrek Hill as you are gonna get.

Trade down to #9 or #10 and take Waddle. If he makes it that far!.

EDIT: Oh and yeah Smith put on a show in the 1st half and was not needed in the 2nd half.

I didn't mean to denigrate Pitts at all...I was just throwing him under the bus as an example of a big guy that got laid out by a big hit!