DeVonta Smith's Debut Noticeable Not for Stats, but the Ability to Separate

DeVonta Smith had just two catches on four targets against the Patriots, but his precise route-running was on full display

PHILADELPHIA —When the Philadelphia Eagles moved up two spots in the 2021 NFL Draft, everyone was on the edge of their seats eager to hear who the selection would be.

It wasn't long after the front office swapped spots with the Dallas Cowboys, going from 12 to 10, that they heard his name - DeVonta Smith.

Ever since then, Philadelphia had been eagerly awaiting Smith's debut.

It was put on hold a week ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers after he suffered a sprained knee in the fourth practice of his professional career, on July 31.

The injury behind him, Smith made his debut against the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

Was it perfect?

No. That was probably to be expected given his absence from any reps until a slow return to play earlier in the week.

“I wouldn’t call it rust," said Smith when asked if it took him some time to work his way back into form after he got his hands on his first two targets but couldn't bring them in.

"I would say I wasn’t focusing on catching the ball and trying to look back too fast before I caught the ball.”

The debut though was very encouraging, though, when you look simply beyond the numbers, which showed him make two catches for 19 yards on four targets after finding out after pregame warmups that he’d be catching passes by Joe Flacco, not Jalen Hurts. 

"Honestly, I really didn’t notice it until the first play, but it’s the NFL," he said when asked if he was disappointed he couldn't play with his former teammate at Alabama. "It’s football. Next man up. We're all here for a reason. We practice with each other every day, so it’s next man up. We have to roll with it and be ready to adapt."

While his final stats aren't eye-catching, his natural ability on the field certainly was.

Smith was notorious for his quick jab step performed on routes to create separation from pursuing defenders at the University of Alabama.

The Eagles 2021 first-round selection put that nasty jab step on display against the Patriots. The clip below showcases Smith’s move.

Philadelphia’s receivers have struggled mightily the last two seasons, creating separation.

NFL NextGen Stats page has Travis Fulgham, the Eagles leader in receiving yards, averaging only 2.65 yards of separation in 2020. The season prior, Alshon Jeffery averaged 2.6 yards of separation with 54 receivers in the NFL who were getting more separation.

The minute Smith was announced as the Eagles’ selection, he immediately became Philadelphia’s No.1 target. 

The days of the Eagles' top wideouts failing to create separation have ended with Smith's arrival.

According to NFL.com’s analytical researcher, Cynthia Frelund, Smith averaged 4.0 receiving yards per route run from 2019-2020, topped the FBS charts. Research also showed Smith had the highest percentage of receptions in college football in which he had more than three feet of separation at the time of the catch despite the defender being three feet of him on his route. 

Philadelphia ranked 29th in the NFL in yards after the catch last season with 1,490 yards. 

Smith will immediately improve that aspect of the Eagles’ receiver room as well. The Crimson Tide pass-catcher accounted for 947 yards after the catch, which was the most in college football since Sammy Watkins in 2013.

The Eagles have been on an exhaustive search for an alpha receiver to become the focal point of the receiver room, a wideout that puts fear in opposing secondaries and has to be accounted for whenever he’s on the football field. 

Philadelphia has identified that caliber of a receiver in Smith, and their long-lasting quest for a No.1 target has come to an end. 

There will be better days ahead for the rookie, higher volume catch games, and big yardage numbers.

Thursday night was simply a start.

Conor Myles covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-hosts the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast on Bleav Podcast Network. Reach Conor at ConorMylesSI@gmail.com or Twitter: @ConorMylesSI

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.