The 2021 NFL Draft class is full of playmakers who will immediately bolster any offensive attack, but then there's DeVonta Smith. The Alabama wideout is coming off of a spectacular 2020 campaign, as he caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns, rushed for another score and also returned a punt for a touchdown. In the College Football Playoff National Championship game against Ohio State, Smith caught 12 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Crimson Tide capped their perfect season with a title.
Smith etched his place in college football lore by becoming the first receiver since 1991 to win the Heisman Trophy. He was the player to watch in college football last season, and helped set the standard for the No. 1 team in the nation. Smith is looking to build on his success at the next level, and he recently spoke with CBS Sports about himself as an NFL prospect, which receivers he would compare himself to and some of the highlights from his final season in Tuscaloosa.
The 2020 Biletnikoff Award winner also shared with CBS Sports that he is becoming the first-ever brand ambassador for VRST, which is a new premium athletic and lifestyle line for men exclusively sold at DICK'S Sporting Goods. The brand recently just launched, and made headlines last month when it was first announced.
"Me being the first person that they have really partnered with, it's just an opportunity that I couldn't pass up," Smith told CBS Sports. "The brand is all about style, comfort and performance on the field and off the field. It's major and it's going to be something that's gonna take off."
Smith knows a little bit about things ready to "take off." He was half of a dynamic duo at wide receiver last year with Jaylen Waddle, but an injury Waddle suffered against Tennessee thrust Smith into the true No. 1 role. While he wasn't lacking touches and recorded two 160-yard games in the first four contests, Smith truly exploded once Waddle was sidelined. In the first game with Waddle out, Smith caught 11 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-0 blowout of Mississippi State. It would be one of two 200-yard games he would record over the next four contests.
When asked how he would describe his final season in college, Smith chose the word "fun." While the Tide pulled off the perfect season, like every other team, they had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether or not teams were going to play college football in 2020 was a legitimate question at one time, and Smith is proud of how he and his teammates rallied around each other to dominate the season that almost wasn't.
"Everyone bought into everything that coach (Nick) Saban wanted us to do," said Smith. "So with everybody doing that, it just made the season a ton of fun."
There are plenty of moments Smith will always remember from the 2020 season. From setting a record with three touchdowns in the first half of the national championship game to hoisting the Heisman, there are plenty to choose from. But there is one play that was special for Smith, and it's one that you would not expect. Back in December, Smith recorded his first punt return touchdown against Arkansas, going 84 yards to the house untouched.
"Before the game, we were talking about it in the group message and I was like, 'I'm going to get me one this game,' and then it just happened. So when it happened, I was like, 'I told you I was gonna run one back!'" said Smith.
Devonta Smith with his first punt return TD in his career! pic.twitter.com/ouUlqK2zGP
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) December 12, 2020
Smith's speed is obviously one of his strengths, but he's not just a home-run hitter. The 22-year-old is a perfectionist when it comes to running routes, has sticky hands and the athletic ability to win 50-50 balls. His curl route and effectiveness with the double move should translate to the next level with ease, and he possesses enough quickness to get separation in whatever coverage he's facing. Smith's athletic profile is indisputable, but what he considers to be his biggest strength may guarantee his success in the NFL.
"My IQ, just overall understanding of the game," Smith said when asked what his best on-field quality was. "I mean, I feel like I'm always one step ahead of who I'm playing against because of how I prepare, how I study film and I know what teams are going to do, so it's not too much that you can show me that I haven't seen."
There isn't a perfect comparison for Smith. Some analysts have thrown out Marvin Harrison or Antonio Brown, and CBS Sports' Dave Richard says he's a leaner version of Chad Johnson. As for whom Smith thinks he can be in the NFL, he threw out two elite names who always seem to be open on Sundays.
"I would say Keenan Allen and Davante Adams," replied Smith when asked whom he would compare himself to. "Just how detailed they are from their releases to the top of their routes. Everything they do, it's all about the detail and they know why they're doing it."
The cornerbacks of the NFL are going to present a challenge Smith hasn't faced before, and it's true that he received some help from an Alabama team that was loaded with talent at every position. Smith was also complimentary of his quarterback Mac Jones, who could go as high as No. 3 overall come draft night.
"I mean, I'm not throwing the ball to myself, so that's the first thing," Smith said when asked about his former quarterback. "Mac is the smartest person on the field. He definitely has the edge over me on the IQ. He's prepared for everything and just the way that he studies, the way he prepares, it gives him a huge advantage and I mean, I haven't seen anybody who studies harder than him."
Plenty of pundits have been critical of Jones when it comes to the prospect of selecting him with a top pick, but Smith has some concerns of his own. The biggest is his frame, as he's about 6 feet, 170 pounds. He may not be a player who can break tackles and fight through multiple defenders for extra yards, but he's been undersized his whole life and has still found ways to dominate. We spoke with Smith's former quarterback and current Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa earlier this offseason, and he does not anticipate Smith having to face any kind of major learning curve at the next level.
"I think his transition to the next level will be kinda ... slim to none," Tagovailoa said. "In a way where it won't be much changing. I think the competition will be different for him obviously, but he will be more than fine. I know a lot of people say he's too small or too skinny, but his film speaks for itself. He goes out and takes care of his business, does what he needs to do. They don't call him the 'Slim Reaper' for no reason."
Smith is also confident he's ready for the NFL. We asked him to give us the pitch that he would deliver to teams considering selecting him with their first-round pick, and the Alabama wideout chose to speak to his versatility.
"Because there's nothing that I can't do," said Smith. "You can put me in the slot, you can put me outside, you can put me on special teams, I can do everything."
One thing Smith can't do is control which team will select him or what his role will be, but he is ready to do whatever is asked of him at the professional level. Still, with how explosive the Heisman Trophy winner proved he was, Smith is worthy of plenty of touches in his first NFL season.
"I'm the type of player where I just need the ball in my hands, so just give me the opportunity to do what I do," Smith said when asked how he would like to be used in the NFL. "Put the ball in my hands and just let me do what I do."
