Diving Into DeVonta's Official Weight

The Miami Dolphins will have to seriously weigh the pros and cons if they're going to draft Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith

One of the biggest mysteries in the 2021 NFL draft was solved Wednesday morning with the report of what DeVonta Smith actually weighs.

The official number came in at 166 pounds through the Indianapolis medical combine earlier this month, according to SI Senior NFL Reporter Albert Breer.

NFL teams didn't get athletic testing numbers from the Indy medical combine earlier this month, but they did get measurements. And that meant, finally, they got Alabama WR DeVonta Smith on a scale.

Per sources, the Heisman winner checked in at a 6-foot-0.2 and 166 pounds.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 21, 2021

This actually is a ilttle less than what Smith said he weighed when he did a Zoom media session in conjunction with the Alabama Pro Day when he reluctantly told reporters he weighed the same as he did at the Senior Bowl, 170 pounds.

But this clearly is a touchy issue with Smith because it took some persistence from SI Eagle Maven Publisher Ed Kracz for Smith to finally give out a number.

Some thoughts on Smith and his weight:

-- That he came in officially at 166 instead of 170 is not a big deal in and of itself because at that point, what's difference does 4 pounds really make?

-- But it doesn't alleviate any of the concerns about Smith's ability to hold up physically in the NFL, whether he was 6-1, 175 (as listed at Alabama) or his now-official measurements of 6 feet, 166.

-- Sure, Smith's frame didn't stop him from being dominant in college, from the time he caught the national title-winning touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa in overtime in the 2017 season to his incredible Heisman season of 2020. But college success does not necessarily equate to NFL success, and there are countless examples to prove that.

-- There is also no historical precedent for somebody of Smith's stature to star in the NFL after being a high first-round pick.

There have been 38 wide receivers who weighed 175 pounds or less at the scouting combine since 2000, according to pro-football-reference.com and only two of them became first-round picks: Tavon Austin and Marquise Brown.

But Austin was listed at 5-8, Brown at 5-9. They just have different physiques. In that time span, there have been nine wide receivers weigh 175 or less and stand at least 5-11.

Not one of them has been a first-round pick. Two were second-round picks: Paul Richardson and Todd Pinkston.

Of the 38, only one really became an impact player in the NFL, and that's DeSean Jackson. But even then Jackson was a bit different because he was more compact (5-10, 169) and he also ran a 4.35, compared to the reported 4.49 time for Smith.

-- Look, none of this is to suggest that Smith can't star in the NFL because every scout and analyst seems to agree he's almost flawless as a prospect outside of his physical dimensions. But there's also a reason why nobody who looks like Smith has ever great success in the NFL. Durability undoubtedly has to be a concern.

-- It's because of that durability factor that we have ranked Smith last among the top receiving options in the draft behind Kyle Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle, who's also not big but almost huge in comparison to Smith.

-- Smith is too good a prospect not to get drafted in the first round, but the element of risk involved in his selection will cause teams to hesitate before turning in the card with his name on it. The fact that his official weight came in at 166 certainly won't alleviate any of those concerns.