DeVonta Smith Emerges as Eagles' Undisputed No. 1 WR — SkimNews
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- DeVonta Smith caught all four targets from Jalen Hurts on the game-winning drive in Week 2 against the Titans, finishing with 10 catches for 117 yards, highlighted by a leaping 19-yard sideline grab on third-and-6
- Smith becomes the Eagles' undisputed No. 1 receiver after A.J. Brown was traded to the New England Patriots in the offseason, ending a four-year 1A-1B pairing that produced three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons for both
- Smith holds the Eagles' franchise record for all-time postseason receiving yards and has never been named an All-Pro or selected to a Pro Bowl in five seasons
- Smith's perseverance traces to Amite (Louisiana) High Magnet School, where he weighed 120 pounds as a freshman and set pushup alarms on his watch to add bulk
- Alabama's Nick Saban initially refused to offer Smith a scholarship due to his 145-pound frame; Saban later became one of his strongest draft advocates, telling teams: 'The ball weighs 13 ounces; how big do you have to be to carry it?'
- Smith's 46-yard Super Bowl LIX dagger against the Chiefs came in the Caesars Superdome — the same stadium where he sat in tears on the field after Amite lost the Louisiana state championship his senior year
- Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award since Desmond Howard in 1991
Why it matters: The Eagles have publicly committed to Smith as their new alpha receiver under first-year passing-game coordinator Sean Mannion, and Smith's Week 2 clutch production validated that organizational bet. With Brown gone, Philadelphia's run-centric system now runs through a receiver whose career has been defined by proving doubters wrong since his 120-pound high school freshman days.
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