PHILADELPHIA – He would be a No. 1 receiver on most NFL teams. He may even be the No. 1 on the Eagles.
You get the feeling, though, that DeVonta Smith doesn’t care whether he’s No. 1 or 2. He just continues to roll out big numbers and after three seasons since being drafted No. 10 overall, when the Eagles moved up a couple of spots with the Dallas Cowboys to take him in 2021, he has put up stunning statistics.
With his acrobatic style, unparalleled body control, and ability to create separation with precise route running, the receiver has caught 240 passes for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in his three seasons and is No. 3 on our top 25 best Eagles heading into training camp.
The top 25 list has become an annual affair of SI.com Eagles writer Ed Kracz and John McMullen as the two reporters submit their top 25 lists at the same time so each would be unaffected by the others. No. 1 on the list is awarded 25 points and so on down the list with No. 25 receiving one point.
Smith was ranked third on both lists of McMullen and Kracz, collecting a total of 46 points, three ahead of our third-ranked player, Jalen Carter.
Smith seemed to be the only player who came to play in last year’s 32-9 laydown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
The Eagles had just 276 yards of total offense in that season-ending defeat, and Smith had 148 of them, catching eight passes that January day.
He comes to play every game, though sometimes the numbers aren’t quite there, and that’s because the receiver opposite him, A.J. Brown, is really good, too.
There isn’t much more the Eagles could ask the selfless Smith to do, though new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore might find something.
Smith, 25, was the third receiver taken in the 2021 draft behind the Bengals Ja’Marr Chase (fifth overall) and the Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle (sixth) and doesn’t take a backseat to either of them. He may even have better numbers if general manager Howie Roseman didn’t land Brown in a draft night trade two years ago, though Cincinnati and Miami have solid weapons, too.
As it is, here are the numbers for the two receivers picked ahead of Smith over their first three years with the three top 10 picks:
Chase: 268 catches, 3,717 yards, 29 touchdowns
Waddle: 251 catches, 3,385 yards, 18 touchdowns
Kadarius Toney and Rashod Bateman were the other two receivers taken in the first round that year.
Smith was the one who won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Alabama, though, becoming the first receiver to win that award since Desmond Howard did it in 1991, and he has continued his college success with the Eagles.
Here is the top 25 list so far:
No. 25: Kelee Ringo
No. 24 Cooper DeJean
No. 23: Isaiah Rodgers
No. 22: Avonte Maddox
No. 21: Brandon Graham
No. 20: Mekhi Becton
No. 19: Milton Williams
No. 18: Cam Jurgens
No. 17: Devin White
No. 16: Bryce Huff
No. 15: Reed Blankenship
No. 14: Jordan Davis
No. 13: Josh Sweat
No. 12: Jake Elliott
No. 11 Darius Slay
No. 10: C.J. Gardner-Johnson
No 9: Dallas Goedert
No. 8: Landon Dickerson
No. 7: Saquon Barkley
No. 6: Jalen Hurts
No. 5: Jordan Mailata
No. 4: Jalen Carter
No. 3: DeVonta Smith
More NFL: Eagles Top 25 Best Players Countdown: Second Year Player Shoots To No. 4
