DeVonta Smith Finalizes Rookie Deal
Former Crimson Tide wide receiver and 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Devonta Smith, has come to terms with his new team. The Philadelphia Eagles signed Smith to his rookie deal Thursday, securing the Heisman winning playmaker for at least the next four seasons.
Smith, the third Crimson Tide player taken off the board in 2021, signed a four-year fully-guaranteed deal worth $20.1 million that includes a $12.1 million signing bonus.
The Eagles, whose leading receiver in 2020 hauled in just 38 receptions for 539 yards, are in desperate need of help in the passing game, and Smith can bring instant improvement. In his four years at Alabama, the Amite City native caught 235 passes for 3965 yards and 46 touchdowns, shattering previous school, conference, and NCAA records.
In 2020 alone, Smith racked up nearly 2000 receiving yards and half of his career touchdowns, proving that he has the ability to be a true No. 1 receiver.
Smith joined Alabama in 2017 as a member of one of the most stacked wide receiver classes the program has ever seen. Coming in alongside Smith were names like Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, both of which were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Despite not seeing many targets in his freshman year, every single college football fan will remember his most important catch of the season when he hauled in a Tua Tagovailoa thrown bomb to secure an overtime national championship victory over the Georgia Bulldogs.
After a sophomore season in which Smith was somewhat outshined by Jeudy and Ruggs, and a junior year where he lit up the stat sheet, leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, he decided to forego a chance at being a high draft pick in 2020 and returned for a fourth year, citing "unfinished business to take care of".
Safe to say that Smith did more than just handle his business in the final season of his collegiate career, bringing home not only the first Heisman trophy given to a receiver in nearly 30 years, but also winning a national championship in stunning fashion.
The Philadelphia Eagles got an absolute star in Smith, who has shown time and time again that, despite his small stature, he can succeed on the football field.