DeVonta Smith and the Wide Receiver Draft Question

Miami Dolphins potential draft target DeVonta Smith took part in the Alabama Pro Day on Monday

The University of Alabama is such a prospect factory that the school is having not one but two Pro Days this year.

The first one was Monday and it included perhaps the school's top 2021 draft prospect, wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

He's a player who's been linked to the Miami Dolphins for a while, both because of his incredible 2020 season that ended with him winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship and his connection with former Bama teammate Tua Tagovailoa.

Smith said during his pre-draft media session that he would not do any drills at the Alabama Pro Day, but give teams the chance to take his measurements — something he refused when he attended, but did not play in, the Senior Bowl.

Based on what he did last season, Smith certainly doesn't need to prove anything in terms of his on-field ability.

The only question about Smith, really, concerns his lack of size — he was listed at 6-1, 175 during his time at Alabama. Smith very obviously doesn't care for the topic and he evaded the question about how much he weighed when first asked, saying it was the same as it was at the Senior Bowl.

When he pressed, he said he weighed 170 pounds.

Even though he didn't play in the Senior Bowl, Smith got to spend the week working with the Dolphins coaching staff. Asked about that experience Monday, Smith just said he liked the experience of going through a game week NFL style without commenting about Brian Flores and his staff specifically.

Likewise, Smith didn't directly answer a question about the possibility of being reunited with Tagovailoa with the Dolphins, saying their conversations go beyond football.

Smith remains a clear possibility for the Dolphins, though as we discussed earlier, the idea of taking him at No. 3 overall might be a bit of a stretch.

In fact, it says here that taking any wide receiver third overall might not be the best way to maximize the value of that pick if the Dolphins don't end up trading it.

If they do end up moving out of the third spot and moving back, say, to either 8, 9 or 12, then a wide receiver would seem a lot likelier option and Smith then might fit into the picture.

Smith certainly would merit strong consideration if he were to still be available at number 18, which once seemed unthinkable but might become a possibility if NFL teams starting getting nervous about Smith's potential durability.


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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.