Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith gets a Hall-of-Fame comparison

There are kudos, and there are statements that flat-out border on insane, so much so that it makes you want to say something derogatory about the people that said them. Somewhere in the middle, you get those things that people say that can go either way. As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, they might give you hope.

If they do, you may question whether or not they’re possible. You might throw them in the wait and see category. Then, you have those things that fall in their own frame of reference (bulletin-board material and wishful thinking).

Make sure you’re sitting down for this one. Depending on how you guys feel about this next statement, you could wind up feeling like you’re pretty charged up about seeing DeVonta Smith run out onto the field at Lincoln Financial Field in the midnight green jersey. If not, you’ll find yourself blurting out old phrases like ‘pump the brakes’.

You all can argue among yourselves over which response is appropriate.

Tim McManus gives the Philadelphia Eagles’ tenth-overall some high praise.

Here’s something that you may have seen or missed. As you might expect, Birds fans are all over the web looking for some insight into what they just witnessed with the Eagles’ nine selections over the course of the 2021 NFL Draft’s three-day schedule.

The verdict about most of Philly’s new blood is that they’re high-potential guys with nice ceilings. If Philly coaches them up and uses them appropriately, they’ll be stars.

Then, there’s the ‘sure thing’, former Alabama Crimson Tide standout DeVonta Smith. The day he walks out onto the field, he’ll be a star and the best wide receiver that Philly has.

All of that goes without saying, but let’s take a few seconds and talk about something that was said about him recently. ESPN’s Tim McManus broke down each of the Philadelphia Eagles draftees recently. He’s calling Smith an “instant upgrade”, but here’s something else.

He compared him to Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Marvin Harrison, who interestingly enough was a teammate of Donovan McNabb’s at Syracuse. Check this one out.

"The Eagles didn’t let size scare them off of the most productive wide receivers in this draft. The reward for that leap of faith could be tremendous. Smith led the NCAA in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,856), and receiving TDs (23) en route to a Heisman Trophy last season. Concerns about his weight, he is reportedly at 166 pounds, affected his draft stock, as he was the third wideout taken behind LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle. While it’s legit to wonder how he’ll do against press man at the next level, his upside is similar to another similarly-built wideout of the past: former Indianapolis Colts receiver and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison."

Okay Philadelphia Eagles fans, let’s talk about fallout.

Sure, McManus’ take only compares Smith to Harrison in terms of both guys’ physical stature, but come on, whenever someone’s mentioned in the same sentence as a man who has his bust at Canton, it’s worth mentioning. Heck, he could have called him Todd Pinkston, but you see that he didn’t do that.

Pinkston was two inches taller than Smith but had a similar build. Can you imagine the blowback we’d all have if McManus compared Smith to Pinkston though? Yeah, the Harrison comparison is better, much better.

Here’s something else that Smith can hang his hat on though. Harrison lined up in one spot on the field for most of his career. Smith is a little more versatile. Harrison never won the Heisman Trophy either. Hmmm. Call it a crazy theory, but we could make the argument that DeVonta Smith is a little ahead of where Harrison was in his development