3 young Eagles certain to pack some punch and move the meter in 2023
6. player. 54. . . . DeVonta Smith
After earning his first 1,000-yard season in year two, DeVonta Smith’s future is bright with the Eagles.
Yes, it’s an obvious pick, but how can you not be excited about DeVonta Smith as we enter his third NFL season with the Birds?
During his first run in an Eagles uniform, the former Alabama Crimson Tide star narrowly missed achieving the 1,000-yard benchmark, but his 915 yards were good enough to earn him the franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie. He also added five touchdowns to the cause while averaging 14.6 yards per reception.
In Smith’s second year, he was paired with A.J. Brown to form one of the most feared wide receiver duos in the NFL. That helped take DeVonta’s game up to another level. Number 6 collected 95 receptions en route to 1,196 yards receiving with seven touchdowns. During the 2022 regular season, he averaged 12.6 yards per catch in 17 games.
Another franchise record had fallen as he eclipsed Philly’s regular season reception record with the aforementioned 95 snags. Irving Fryar previously had owned said record with 88 catches in 1996.
Brown and Smith also become the first Eagles wide receiving duo to reach the 1,000 receiving mark at the same time during the same season. DeVonta did all he could in Super Bowl LVII. He snared seven catches for 100 yards in that game and became just the third Eagles player to record over 100 yards receiving during a Super Bowl. Corey Clement and Terrell Owens are the other two.
All signs point towards greatness for Smith. Another 1,000-yard season is achievable as long as he stays healthy. With A.J. and Jalen Hurts by his side, as it should be another fun ride fueled by plenty of offensive fireworks.
