NFL Draft Profile: Wide Receiver Devin Smith

There is no doubting Seattle’s need to pick up at least one wide receiver in this year’s NFL draft. One name that is bound draw plenty of interesting for Seattle is Ohio State’s Devin Smith.

At 6′ 3/8″ and 190 pounds, Smith isn’t big red zone target the Seahawks need. He does have tremendous athleticism though, which is something that Seattle values.

If Paul Richardson was healthy for the 2015 season, Smith likely wouldn’t be on Seattle’s radar. Richardson though is likely to start the season on the PUP list, so the Seahawks will need to find to find another deep threat as well. That’s exactly what Smith is.

After spending much of the couple of weeks watching tape of wide receivers and tight ends, it’s time to start publishing my notes. I’ll try and get caught up and get everything published before the NFL Combine next week.

How he fits

Smith is a classic “take the top off of a defense” guy with great straight-line speed. He appears to have great athleticism beyond just pure speed, but he doesn’t use it well enough on shorter routes to get open.

His routes aren’t typically sharp, instead using his speed to simply run away from defenders. He’s similar to Golden Tate in this manner, though Tate is a different style of receiver overall. While Smith is decent at the catch point, he doesn’t have a Tate’s large catch radius or ability to make people miss after the catch.

Smith doesn’t beat the press well enough to excel at split end, but his skill set works well both at flanker and in the slot.

Where he wins

Just his presence on the field relocates safeties and opens things up for his teammates. Smith’s speed jumps off the tape. He simply pulls away from any defender who tries to cover him.

Smith also adjusts well to the ball in the air, adjusting his path to get himself properly positioned to catch the pass while keeping defenders away from the ball. This makes him especially effective on fades, even though he’s only of average height.

Smith is a willing blocker and special teams player. He also shows great instincts as a gunner on punt coverage.

NFL Comparison: Mike Wallace

Overall Grade: Late Round 2

Actual game film (not highlights)

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