Philadelphia Eagles: Draft expert reveals DeVonta Smith’s weaknesses

They finally got it right! After several years of frustration, the Philadelphia Eagles have found a legitimate number-one wide receiver in DeVonta Smith. Sure, we all loved the era that belonged to Doug Pederson. No other man on Planet Earth will ever be able to say he delivered the first-ever Vince Lombardi Trophy as the Birds head coach, but his story can’t be told without bringing up the likes of Shelton Gibson and Mack Hollins.

That’s bad enough, but this team also has to live with the decisions of taking JJ Arcega-Whiteside over D.K. Metcalf and taking Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson.

Now, don’t read what hasn’t been written. Most of that can be blamed on Doug, but again, after not only years, but decades of frustration, it’s nice to know one of the best young wideouts of the most recent NFL Draft will be donning the number 6 jersey for Philly.

Draft wiz shares the Philadelphia Eagles rookie’s strengths and weaknesses.

These days, everyone has an avenue to express their opinion thanks to social media engines like Twitter, even the people that should probably do more listening than talking. There are some positives to the internet and social media though. It connects us with people we do need to plug into.

If you’re a draft nerd like the rest of us, one of those guys is NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. He handles the draft profiles on these up-and-coming stars, and his take on DeVonta Smith is definitely with a look.

He gives the most recent Heisman Trophy winner a prospect grade of 7.13, meaning he has the potential to be a perennial Pro Bowl talent. He lists “buttery smooth route running”, Smith being “as natural a hands catcher as you will find”, and “elite body control as DeVonta Smith’s strengths, but no man is perfect.

Here’s what he sees as the weaknesses, outside of the physical frame of course. We’re all probably just as sick as Smith is of hearing that one:

Zierlein states that Smith is “feisty but lacks average play strength” and that he “can be forced against sideline on his outside release”. He also states that Smith “gets jostled at the top of the route at times” and that “big NFL cornerbacks will close some high-point windows on him”.

All of that is okay. That’s why NFL teams employ position coaches, but here’s what we can say. Smith’s buzz continues to grow, as it should, especially after an impressive rookie minicamp.

The Birds have a potentially elite wide receiver prospect that they can pair with Jalen Hurts for the next ten seasons if they want to (and if things go right). The transformation won’t take place overnight, but brighter days are coming for the Philadelphia Eagles on offense.