| |
| Smith at the 2021 ESPY Awards in July 2021. | |
| No. 6 — Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 14 1998 |
| Amite City, Louisiana | |
| Listed height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight: | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Personal information | |
| High school: | Amite |
| (Amite City, Louisiana) | |
| College: | Alabama (2017-2020) |
| NFL Draft: | 2021 / Rnd: 1 / Pck: 10th |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Player stats: PFR | |
DeVonta Smith (born November 14, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). As a senior at Alabama in 2020, he recorded over 1,800 yards with 23 touchdowns, for which he won the Heisman Trophy alongside several other awards and honors. He was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991 and only the fourth overall. He won two College Football National Championships while at Alabama prior to being selected by the Eagles in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. In his fourth season with the Eagles, Smith won Super Bowl LIX, becoming the fifth football player to win the Super Bowl, a college national title, and the Heisman Trophy.
High school career[]
Smith was born on November 14, 1998, in Amite City, Louisiana and later attended Amite High Magnet School.[1] He committed to the University of Alabama to play college football.[2]
College career[]
As a true freshman at Alabama in 2017, Smith had eight receptions for 160 yards and three touchdowns. In the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship against Georgia, Smith had the game-winning touchdown reception in overtime to give Alabama the 26–23 victory.[3][4][5] As a sophomore in 2018, he had 42 receptions for 693 yards and six touchdowns.[6][7] Smith continued to build his resume with another strong season in his junior year with 68 receptions for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns. On November 21, 2020, Smith broke the all-time SEC career record for most receiving touchdowns, with two against Kentucky.
Smith became the first wide receiver to win the AP Player of the Year award since its inception in 1998.[8] Smith was selected over finalists Kyle Trask, Trevor Lawrence and teammate Mac Jones to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award since Desmond Howard in 1991 and only the fourth overall.[9] Several days later in the CFP National Championship Game against Ohio State, Smith set records for title game catches (12) and touchdown receptions (three), and also totaled 215 yards, despite leaving early in the third quarter with a hand injury. Alabama won, 52–24, their sixth title in 12 years, while Smith was named Offensive MVP of the championship game.[10] While playing for Alabama, Smith set more than seven school receiving records. Smith accepted an invitation for the 2021 Senior Bowl but did not play.[11] While at Alabama, Smith became known as "The Slim Reaper", given to him by his teammates due to his small frame and athletic ability.[12]
Statistics[]
| Season | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 2017 | 8 | 160 | 20.0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2018 | 42 | 693 | 16.5 | 57 | 6 |
| 2019 | 68 | 1,256 | 18.5 | 8 | 14 |
| 2020 | 117 | 1,856 | 15.9 | 66 | 23 |
| Career | 235 | 3,965 | 16.9 | 85 | 46 |
Professional career[]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄4 in
(1.84 m) |
170 lb
(77 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in
(0.79 m) |
9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m) | |||||||||
| All values from Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Smith was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the tenth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, who had traded up two spots with the Dallas Cowboys to select him. He was the third wide receiver taken in the draft after Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle. Despite his impressive college statistics Smith fell in the draft due to concerns over his raw measurables and that his frame was considered too small to handle playing in the NFL. He signed a four-year rookie contract, worth $20.1 million, on June 3, 2021.
2021 season[]
In week 1, against the Atlanta Falcons, Smith scored his first career touchdown on his very first catch in the NFL. He had seven receptions for 122 yards in a Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In Week 10, against the Denver Broncos, Smith had two receiving touchdowns in the 30–13 victory. Smith had a solid rookie season for the Eagles, as he recorded 64 receptions for 916 yards and five touchdowns. His 916 yards set the Eagles rookie record for most receiving yards in a single season. Like the rest of the Eagles offense, Smith struggled during the team's 31–15 loss in the Wild Card Round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as he ended the game with four catches (on 11 targets) for 60 yards.
2022 season[]
In Week 3, against the Washington Commanders, Smith had eight catches for a career-high 169 yards and a touchdown in the 24–8 win. In Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys, he had eight receptions for 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 40–34 loss.
Smith had five games going over the 100-yard mark in the 2022 season. Smith finished his second season catching 95 passes for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns. In the Divisional Round against the New York Giants, he had a receiving touchdown in the 38–7 victory. In the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith recorded a one-handed 29-yard reception on fourth down on the Eagles' opening drive. The catch was likely to have been ruled incomplete upon further review, but the Eagles were able to get a quick snap off before it could be challenged. The catch set up the Eagles with first-and-goal, which they were able to score a touchdown on. The Eagles won the game 31–7. In Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith had seven catches for 100 yards in the 38–35 loss. He was ranked 100th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
2023 season[]
In Week 2, against the Vikings, Smith had four receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown in the 34–28 victory. He had one other game going over the 100-yard mark on the regular season, Week 12 against the Bills. He totaled 81 receptions for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games.
In the Wild Card Round loss to the Buccaneers, Smith had eight receptions for 148 yards in the 32–9 loss.
2024 season[]
On April 15, 2024, Smith signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension with the Eagles. In Week 17 against the Cowboys, he had six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the 41–7 win. He finished the 2024 season with 68 receptions for 833 yards and eight touchdowns.
Smith caught a 46-yard touchdown thrown by game MVP Jalen Hurts during the third quarter of Super Bowl LIX as the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22, avenging their Super Bowl LVII loss from two years earlier and earning Smith his first Super Bowl championship. Smith also became the first Alabama alumnus to catch a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, as well as the fifth player ever to win a Super Bowl championship, a college football national championship, and a Heisman Trophy during his career.
NFL career statistics[]
Regular season[]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2021 | PHI | 17 | 16 | 64 | 916 | 14.3 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | PHI | 17 | 17 | 95 | 1,196 | 12.6 | 45 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 81 | 1,066 | 13.2 | 63 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | PHI | 13 | 13 | 68 | 833 | 12.3 | 49 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 63 | 62 | 308 | 4,011 | 13.0 | 63 | 27 | 3 | 3 | |
Postseason[]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2021 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 4 | 60 | 15.0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | PHI | 3 | 3 | 15 | 197 | 13.1 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 8 | 148 | 18.5 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | PHI | 4 | 4 | 16 | 190 | 11.9 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 9 | 9 | 43 | 595 | 13.8 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life[]
On December 31, 2024, Smith announced his engagement to Mya Danielle, with whom he has a daughter. The couple are expecting their second child together.
Smith is a Christian. He has said “I know I wouldn’t be here without God. Without him blessing me with the abilities I have I wouldn’t have got here. Being alone doesn’t get you here. Just being a firm believer in Him and just Him guiding me through. He has helped me get through a lot.”
See also[]
- List of NCAA major college football yearly receiving leaders
- List of NCAA Division I FBS career receiving touchdowns leaders
References[]
- ↑ The Draft Network | NFL Draft Rankings, Predictions, & Coverage (in en).
- ↑ Amite (La.) wide receiver DeVonta Smith is headed to Alabama (February 1, 2017).
- ↑ Sabin, Rainer (November 27, 2018). Why Alabama WR DeVonta Smith is not eager to talk about '2nd-and-26'.
- ↑ Byington, Alex. Humble Alabama WR DeVonta Smith not reveling in 'The Catch' ahead of rematch with Georgia.
- ↑ DeVonta Smith's hometown hails Bama's other CFP hero.
- ↑ Byington, Alex. Alabama's DeVonta Smith finally getting his due.
- ↑ Byington, Alex. Tide WR DeVonta Smith emerging from the shadows.
- ↑ Tide's DeVonta Smith the 1st WR to win AP Player of the Year (December 29, 2020).
- ↑ Wide receivers and the Heisman Trophy: DeVonta Smith joins exclusive fraternity with win (in en).
- ↑ Rob Goldberg (January 11, 2021). DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones, Alabama Rout Ohio State to Win 2021 CFP Championship.
- ↑ Heim, Mark. "Alabama's DeVonta Smith accepts Senior Bowl invitation", January 18, 2021.
- ↑ Martin, Tyler. How an ‘Under-Sized’ DeVonta Smith Became Larger Than Life and the Heisman Front-Runner (in en).
External links[]
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