Eagles' DeVonta Smith Best WR in NFL?! 'Ain't Too Much Longer!'

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay believes third-year receiver DeVonta Smith has a chance to be the best in the league at his position.

The Philadelphia Eagles already have one of the consensus top seven receivers in the NFL with A.J. Brown, who had 88 catches for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season with the team. 

But according to Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, third-year wideout DeVonta Smith has a chance to soon enter that conversation himself. 

"It's elite! It's like I've been telling him since he was a rookie, he's way ahead of his class when it comes to route-running ability," Slay said of Smith. 

"I told him the other day, 'you're a guy that I've never seen before that can adjust like that in the middle of press man, hard press, catching.'" 

Slay went on to tell a story of a time where he blanketed Smith in coverage in a 1-on-1 drill, only to have the former Heisman Trophy winner make an acrobatic catch behind him. 

Whatever concerns existed about Smith's size -- 6-foot, 170 pounds -- when the Eagles selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft feel like a distant memory. He plays much bigger than his size. Across his first two NFL seasons, Smith has over 2,100 receiving yards. He led all pass catchers with 100 receiving yards in Super Bowl LVII. And perhaps that was just an appetizer for what's coming next from Smith. 

"He's got all the tools," Slay said. "I told him, 'ain't gonna be much longer before we're saying Smitty is the best receiver in the league for sure.' It ain't gonna be too much longer." 

Slay would add that Smith, of course, would give the Eagles two superstar receivers, calling Brown "elite as hell." Certainly, if Smith takes another step forward in 2023, the Eagles will have the best receiver duo in franchise history between him and Brown, which would be a major shot in the arm for quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

What is looming, though, is Smith pushing for a major contract. He'll be eligible for a new deal when this season concludes, and general manager Howie Roseman has surely already begun to plan for a lucrative long-term deal with Smith. 

You can follow Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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