Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith has turned in two quality seasons since he was selected at No. 10 overall in 2021.
But one of Smith’s teammates is expecting him to become a part of the conversation for best receiver in the league sooner than later.
“He got all the tools,” cornerback Darius Slay said, via Reuben Frank of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. “I told him, ‘You know, it ain’t going to be too much longer we’re going to be saying Smitty the best receiver in the league,’ for sure. It ain’t gonna be too much longer.”
“I’m not gonna put a crazy [expectation] on him, but he’s got that type of ability to be that kind of guy,” Slay added. “He could continue to keep doing what he’s doing and growing as a player, which I know he would. Yeah, it ain’t gonna be too much longer than that. We’re gonna have the best two [with A.J. Brown], for sure.”
Slay — who has been practicing with Smith over the last two years — specifically touted Smith’s route running, calling it “elite.” And he said that Smith has “the body and the control to adjust to anything.”
“I’ve been telling him since he’s been a rookie, man, he’s way ahead of his class,” Slay said. “And his route-running ability, I told him the other day, ‘Man, you’re a guy that I’ve never seen before that can like adjust like that in the middle of pressing, hard press, motor catching, all that.’”
After posting 64 receptions for 916 yards with five touchdowns as a rookie, Smith caught 95 passes for 1,196 yards with seven TDs in 2022. He’ll have to pump those numbers up to truly be thought of as one of the best in the league. But at this point, there’s plenty of reason to believe Smith will eventually do just that.