DeVonta Smith 40 time: How did he compare to other wide receivers?
By Matt Conner
With the 2023 NFL Combine coming up soon, let’s reflect back on DeVonta Smith’s performance in the 40-yard dash.
The NFL Draft and the typical activities that should have accompanied it were all set aside just a couple of years ago as every industry around the globe grappled with how to find a way forward in the face of a pandemic. COVID-19 forced the NFL (and everyone else) to cancel, postpone, and/or scale back for quite some time—and back in 2021, that meant no NFL Combine for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith and his draftmates.
Looking back, it was amazing that the league was even able to move forward with as much offseason activity in the face of so much uncertainty. Smith was still able to enjoy the draft, at least in some format, and the Eagles were certainly happy to add him with the No. 10 overall selection.
Given the lack of a Combine that offseason, it can be a bit difficult to measure one prospect against another because results vary so much depending on who is in charge of the timing, the actual running surface, wind and weather, and other factors. In Smith’s case, it’s even harder to figure out how he might stack up against his fellow draftees—simply because he didn’t want to run.
Here are the top 40-yard dash times from DeVonta Smith’s NFL Combine.
Like an increasing number of elite NFL prospects, DeVonta Smith decided he would allow his game tape to speak for itself. As one of the most productive players at the highest level of college football, Smith was right to bet on himself in that way. He didn’t need to risk injury or put himself through a battery of tests in order to impress the right scout or general manager. His stock was already blue chip. That said, he did say he could beat Henry Ruggs’ incredible 4.27 second time.
While we’re not sure how Smith would have fared, we can stack up the various 40-yard dash times from the various pro days held back in the spring of 2021. Here are the top WR times:
- Anthony Schwartz, 4.27 seconds
- Rondale Moore, 4.32 seconds
- Ja’Marr Chase, 4.34 seconds
- Elijah Moore, 4.35 seconds
- Kadarius Toney, 4.38 seconds
- Racey McMath, 4.39 seconds
- Tutu Atwell, 4.39 seconds
- D’Wayne Eskridge, 4.40 seconds
- Terrace Marshall, 4.40 seconds
- Jacob Harris, 4.43 seconds
