Devonta Smith is one of the Eagles’ best receivers. He put up huge numbers during his rookie year, which is hard to do coming out of college. The NFL is just a different level of competition, and it takes time to for any rookie to get to the acclimated to the fast style of play of the NFL. Smith showed last season why the Eagles picked him in the first round of the NFL Draft. Â This article will analyze Devonta Smith and project his ceiling for his second year in the NFL.
Analyzing Devonta Smith
Smith, as said above, had a stellar rookie season. He racked 916 receiving yards and averaged 14.3 yards a reception. Furthermore, he had five touchdowns catches. Smith only fumbled the ball once in 2022, which means he can protect the ball pretty well. Smith made those numbers happen by being a good all-around football player. First off, Smith has great speed and crisp route running which makes him able to separate himself from defenders. Smith can catch short and long passes. The Eagles utilized in screen passes a fair amount in 2021 and was able to make the most of it with his blazing speed. Furthermore, Smith just has great hands in general and can make some tough catches.
The deep ball catch from DeVonta Smith is the obviously highlight, but this snag on the following play is also ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/GCrwGlZHFe
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) October 4, 2021
For example, in this video he was able make this catch against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he made sure both feet were in bounds while stretching out to catch the ball at the same time. This is just one highlight out of many that show how good Smith is.
There was also a negative aspect to his game in 2021, which is his low number of touchdown catches. This number should go up next season. Devonta Smith has help now within the receiving core with newly added players like A.J. Brown and Zach Pascal. This will take the attention away him, which will create more scoring opportunities for the young stand out receiver.
Projecting his numbers for the 2022 season
Projecting anyone’s numbers for the entire season is tough with other factors involved such as unforeseen injuries and even if a player just does not produce as much the next year. However, the only thing that should really prevent Smith from having a good season would be an injury.
Expect Smith to surpass that one 1,000-yard receiving mark this coming season. Furthermore, Smith should be able to double his touchdown pass total to ten in 2022. He has all the tools necessary with Jalen Hurts, who has continued to get better game after game. Devonta Smith should have another great season with the Eagles in 2022 and has a good shot to make the pro bowl. This concludes analyzing Devonta Smith.
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