DeVonta Smith continues to etch his name among other Eagles legends
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We’re always cautioned and steered away from succumbing to the temptation to call someone a ‘sure thing,’ only to be proven wrong later. DeVonta Smith was a sure thing when he entered the NFL.
We all knew he would be. Long before he was the Philadelphia Eagles‘ tenth-overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, he ripped the NCAA stage apart during his days in Tuscaloosa.
As a freshman, he caught the final pass of the Alabama Crimson Tide‘s season, gliding under a beautiful strike from Tua Tagovailoa. That was his only catch of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, a 41-yard walkoff touchdown reception to sink the hopes of the Georgia Bulldogs and give The Tide a 26-23 win in overtime.
He wasn’t done. He would only become more of a legend during a 2020 Heisman Trophy campaign.
Smith’s final season at the collegiate level won him ‘college football’s most prestigious honor’, the Heisman Trophy. He led the NCAA in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
He was named the 2020 SEC Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-SEC nod (for the second time). He was named a 2020 Unanimous All-American. He became a CFP National Champion for the second time.
He won the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award, the Fred Biletnikoff Award, and the Paul Hornung Award. He was named the AP College Football Player of the Year and the Sporting News College Football Player of the Year. We’ll repeat it. DeVonta Smith entered the NFL as a ‘sure thing’.
DeVonta Smith continues to establish himself as one of the all-time greats.
DeVonta Smith’s first reception in an Eagles game went for six in Week 1 of his rookie campaign. His first regular season ended with him setting the franchise’s single-season receiving yards record (916 yards).
He was passed by his teammate and friend, A.J. Brown, recently on the franchise’s receiving yards list. That’s okay. Both have exceeded 5,000 yards receiving. Both have passed Brent Celek (4,998) and sit among the top ten. Then, Smith crossed the 1,000-yard threshold in the Week 18 finale.
As he continues to climb the receiving yards ladder. Smith is in striking distance of a franchise record. The top names on the list belong to Eagles legends. Harold Carmichael’s 8,978 yards are the benchmark.
He’s followed by Pete Retzlaff (7,412), DeSean Jackson (6,512), Mike Quick (6,464), Zach Ertz (6,267), Pete Pihos (5,619), Tommy McDonald (5,499), and Bobby Waltson (5,363). Talk about Eagles royalty and some elite company to be a part of.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: DeVonta Smith continues to etch his name among other Eagles legends
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