DeVonta Smith Draws Hall-of-Fame NFL Comparison

Alabama's DeVonta Smith lit up the college football world last season becoming the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since 1991. However, his one flaw of having a small frame (6-foot, 166 pounds) is causing him to drop on some NFL Draft boards.

Smith isn't the first prospect to have his height and weight questioned and he certainly won't be the last. He received a lot of praise from one veteran NFL scout recently when he was compared to NFL Hall-of-Famer Isaac Bruce, who came into the league with some similar concerns.

Got this comp for Alabama WR DeVonta Smith from a veteran scout, and it's a good one for teams to use: Isaac Bruce. The Hall of Famer was a shade under 6-foot and 173 pounds at the '94 combine coming out of Memphis. Went 33rd overall.

Similar size. Similar style. Makes sense.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 21, 2021

Smith proved he has what it takes to carry an offense on his back in 2020 as he racked up 1,856 yards and scored 23 touchdowns. His overall talent is off the charts. Smith can burn defenders with deep plays down the field or use his crisp route-running skills to get open over the middle.

Bruce had a similar build to Smith and ended up being drafted in the second round (No. 33 overall) by the Los Angeles Rams. He went on to play 16 NFL seasons and racked up over 15,000 receiving yards and scored 91 touchdowns. Bruce also helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2000.

Much like Bruce, Smith does not see his small frame as a disadvantage given he can use his elite speed to get open and separate from defenders. Plus, there's no reason Smith won't be able to go into training camp and build up some muscle once he's on an NFL training regimen.

All things considered, one NFL team will gladly take the Alabama wideout in the first round as he could be a star at the next level. His current NFL Draft position over/under is set at 11.5, with odds of -122 on the over and odds of +100 on the under, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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