DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

Outside the top three picks of the 2021 NFL Draft, no pick is more of a sure thing than the Lions taking a WR. While debatable whose is worse, the Lions are unquestionably bottom two with the Eagles in terms of worst WR corps in the NFL. The best of the bunch, Tyrell Williams, made a name for himself in 2016, but has struggled to be anything more than a decent #2 WR in his career, Breshad Perriman was a bust of a 1st round pick, and Geronimo Allison — while making a splash play here and there — was never able to get significant playing time on the Packers having a career high of 300 yards in 2018. The Lions flat out need offensive weapons if they have any hope of seeing Jared Goff succeed in Detroit. While they are probably hoping that either Ja’Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts falls to them at 7, but they have to feel good knowing that worst case they will have their pick between DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

The only reason DeVonta Smith is not the unquestioned #1 WR in this class is his size, which, while a genuine concern, does not worry me as much in today’s NFL as it would have five to 10 years ago. In today’s NFL it is just plain difficult for defenders to be physical with WRs, Smith has elite skills getting his release off the snap, with explosive speed, change of direction, and route running, Smith will have no issues getting open at the second level. Smith dominated the college level at a rate, very rarely seen, and the accolades speak for themselves.

When you watch Smith play it’s evident that he can just do it all, despite his lack of size, he is extremely proficient at making the contested catch, tremendous body control making the toe tapping highlight real catches along the sideline, and amazing hands and concentration to make highlight real catches look easy. It’s truly a shame Matthew Stafford is no long in Detroit as I think Smith would have been a great toy for someone with that gunslinger mentality because Smith just has that ability to routinely make the highlight play on 50/50 pass. Smith does not possess the top level speed of a guy like Waddle, but he’s plenty fast enough, to be a threat or take it to the house in every play, and his ability to move his space means you never know whats gonna happen next. Outside of his size, Smith just does not have a weakness and excels in every area, he is a true jack of all trades, except master at everything, and if he had a few more inches and pounds. He would easily be the first non-QB taken this draft.

The final point for drafting Smith is his attitude off the field. From all reports, Smith is about as humble and down to Earth as they come. Throughout all the Heisman press interviews, the one thing that always came across is that Smith is not the type of person to believe his own hype, and is the first person to praise the people around him for his success. You can find report after report of his coaches and team mates praising his general attitude and willingness to do whatever made the team better. To me there is a big reason DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones have had such a sustained period of being a top three WR in the NFL. Yes, their skills and natural ability allowed them to get to that point, but they are never caught up in their own hype, and keep working. They’re mainly keep their head down, and keep working and putting in the effort to always be better. Smith to me is one of those guys, an elite playmaker, with an elite work ethic, who isn’t going to get caught up in the limelight. When you look at Smith there is no doubt that he is going to be an absolute stud at the next level for a long long time, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see, in a few years, him being praised as a top-5 WR in the NFL.

2021 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Jaguars (Phoenix X Minimus): QB Trevor Lawrence
2) Jets (eagles.north.of.the.border): QB Zach Wilson
3) 49ers (I Need a Username): QB Trey Lance
4) Falcons (chewy wellington): OT Penei Sewell
5) Bengals (Dr_Horrible): WR Ja’Marr Chase
6) Dolphins (20Safety_Hazard): TE Kyle Pitts
7) Lions (drc242): WR DeVonta Smith
8) Panthers (wildcatlh):
9) Broncos (ItownBallers22):
10) Cowboys (Kephas):
11) Giants (Billmington):
12) Eagles (ablesser88):
13) Chargers (Georgia_eagle):
14) Vikings (Philliesandthebees):
15) Patriots (SakPrescott):
16) Cardinals (Carson Wentzs ACL):
17) Raiders (dshelton5):
18) Dolphins (J. Wil):
19) Football Team (Negadelphia Norm):
20) Bears (Happy24):
21) Colts (CSsdV):
22) Titans (Friendly Neighborhood Philly Fan):
23) Jets (Asap Stocky):
24) Steelers (Gregnado):
25) Jaguars (“Snax”):
26) Browns (gerouxman1956):
27) Ravens (Brendanekstrom):
28) Saints (grantspectations):
29) Packers (Philly_Philly):
30) Bills (doublefry):
31) Chiefs (Leo Bedio):
32) Buccaneers (phuckdallas):

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2021 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Jaguars: QB Trevor Lawrence
2) Jets: QB Zach Wilson:
3) 49ers: QB Justin Fields
4) Falcons: OT Penei Sewell
5) Bengals: WR Ja’Marr Chase
6) Dolphins: TE Kyle PItts
7) Lions: