There were not a ton of special things about the Philadelphia Eagles' offense in their ugly 10-7 win over the Green Bay Packers to close out Week 10, but one star continues to emerge as a legit number one receiver in the NFL.
Everyone always focuses on Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, but DeVonta Smith has something to say. Smith made the biggest offensive play of the game for Philly as he caught a 36-yard deep ball touchdown catch in the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead.
The Eagles receiver finished as the leader in receptions (four), yards (69), and touchdowns (one). After the game, Smith was bold in giving himself credit for being one of the best in catching contested passes.
"Yeah, I feel like I am one of the best guys at 50-50 balls. I take pride in my quarterback saying he's going to give me a chance. I take pride in it to go make that play for him."
So, what's the secret to Smith being so good at making those tough receptions? It actually dates to another sport that helped him out.
"I think part of it is growing up, playing basketball games things like that. Playing above the rim. I was kind of a above the rim guy. So, I feel like that helped me a little bit."
I asked about top players being mentioned catching 50-50 balls in the NFL
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 11, 2025
DeVonta Smith feels he is one of the best in the league
“I take pride in it when a quarterback gives me a chance”
He says playing basketball has helped him, playing above the rim pic.twitter.com/isqnNzFF4o
Smith is truly special, and the NFL needs to start taking notice
This season, Smith has 48 receptions for 657 yards and three touchdowns in nine games. At the rate he is going, Smith could be looking at a career season in the NFL.
It's unfortunate that Smith always gets overshadowed by Brown since he gets over 1,000 yards and at least seven touchdowns in each of his three seasons with the Eagles. Smith usually is close to that, but this year is different.
Philly is struggling to get consistency from Brown, so Jalen Hurts has leaned more on Smith and Dallas Goedert in the passing game. Goedert has been more reliable for catching red zone touchdowns, while Smith has been the deep threat receiver.
Read more: It took one game with Eagles for Jaelan Phillips to be missing piece to defense
Smith is good at multiple aspects of the receiver position, but one thing is for sure: he plays like a number one receiver and should start being viewed like one.