Despite winning the 2020 Heisman Trophy, Alabama recipient DeVonta Smith faced a central issue throughout the draft process: his weight. After several questions from reporters on Monday, Smith revealed that he weighs 170 pounds.
Smith said he plans to officially weigh in on the teams on Tuesday on Alabama’s professional day, but he will not participate in field training or any other tests. He prefers to let the game tape speak for itself.
One of the greatest candidates in the 2021 draft, Smith must be chosen in the first round. The lingering question is how much your lean body will affect your ability to be one of the top 5 or 10 chosen.
“I feel like it won’t be any different from college. I played at the SEC. I feel it’s the most difficult conference there is,” said Smith. “I know a lot of people who are bigger than me and who have more problems than me, so I’m not worried about it at all.”
Smith would be the second lightest recipient in the first round of the draft since 1999; the Baltimore Ravens selected the 166-pound “Hollywood” Marquise, weighing 166 pounds, as the 25th overall choice in the 2019 draft. But there are some precedents: Smith was compared to Hall of Fame Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison by several recruitment, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Mike Tannenbaum. Harrison weighed 181 pounds on his combine and played in the 170s.
Other successful recipients who weighed less than 175 pounds also include DeSean Jackson (169 pounds) and Isaac Bruce (173 pounds). Chad Johnson also said on Twitter that he played with 170 pounds, but noted that Smith was better than him in college.
In his latest simulation draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay places Smith in eighth overall position for the Miami Dolphins.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores was asked about Smith’s weight in the Senior Bowl, where the receiver spent the week attending Miami training and meetings. Flores said: “This guy is a very, very good player. You can choose as much as you like about the size of a guy, but good players are good players. We can all see that.
“This guy is a very good player. He played a lot in college. He played a lot in the biggest games of the year. You can criticize all day in people’s things. He is a very good player, and it was nice to meet you him. He’s a good boy too. “
Despite some examples of less successful recipients, Smith can be seen as an isolated case for NFL teams that drop their grades because of their stature. But Smith said he is not at all concerned about his size because he has “the mentality that I will not be interrupted”.