Latest news with #DeVonta
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A surprising split for Eagles WR duo in a recent ranking of the NFL's best
Statements like this next one are typically debated when mentioned. Rankings are subjective, but A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL. They might be the best one-two punch at the position that the Philadelphia Eagles have ever seen. Do you see how quiet it got after you read that? Advertisement This may seem one-sided or the theories of someone looking at the world through Midnight and Kelly Green lenses, but trust and believe. Serious thought was given to the statement before it was written. Yes, the guys in Miami are doggone good. The same can be said for the talent the Cincinnati Bengals have given Joe Burrow in the Queen City, but be honest with yourselves, Dolphins fans. Would you rather have your starters or A.J. and DeVonta today? That isn't to state Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are slouches. This doesn't suggest Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins aren't elite. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is simply a reminder of how good Brown and Smith have been during their run together in the City of Brotherly Love. Three seasons together have helped produce highlight reel plays and another Vince Lombardi Trophy for the Birds. Recently, Swole and Skinny Batman landed on a ranking of elite NFL receivers, but there are a few questions worth answering about how they were slotted. A.J. Brown lands atop PFF's WR ranking. DeVonta Smith is another story. Some love Pro Football Focus, others are confused by the rankings sometimes, and others still land in both categories. At times, it can feel like a mathematical genius is needed to understand how they calculate all of the numbers they come up with. Advertisement Here's something we can all digest more quickly. A.J. Brown landed atop PFF's ranking of the NFL's top 32 wideouts ahead of the 2025-26 regular season. Trevor Sikkema, the writer of this one, notates the following as his reason for making that decision. "Brown dominates defensive backs across the board, but his success against single coverage is especially notable. He earned the highest receiving grade versus single coverage in 2024 (96.6) and leads the league in that category over the past three seasons (2022–24) with a 97.0 grade. He can win in every way, against any defense." Brown is in tier one with Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase. There's no argument there. DeVonta is in tier four, and that's where the confusion begins. "Smith is about as reliable a No. 2 wide receiver as there is. He has earned receiving grades between 77.0 and 83.5 in each of his four seasons, with 2024 marking a career high at 83.5. His contested catch rate has consistently hovered around 40% throughout that span." Advertisement No one will find any issues with Sikkema's take. To his credit, he's typically spot on, but challenge flags can be thrown about Smith landing at 17 and some of the names that land in the tiers ahead of him. DeVonta is the first name mentioned in the fourth tier ahead of Chris Godwin, Brandon Aiyuk, D.J. Moore, Jaylen Waddle, Ladd McConkey, D.K. Metcalf, and Chris Olave. He also lands behind several players he's on the same level with, if not slightly ahead of, in his development. Here's who he's staring up at. You be the judge: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, Nico Collins, Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Drake London, Malik Nabers, Garrett Wilson, Tee Higgins, Brian Thomas Jr., and Davante Adams. Evans and McLaurin have Pro Football Hall of Fame arguments. Adams' resume speaks for itself. If they landed ahead of Smith on a ranking fueled by career achievements, no one should have any issue with them overtaking DeVonta, but that isn't what this is. Advertisement This ranks where these players are headed into the coming campaign. Are we sure all of these guys are better than the Slim Reaper? Maybe that PFF ranking system has something to do with it? Maybe there is something else we're missing? Whatever the reason, perhaps it's worth the effort to recalculate the votes. This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: A surprising split for the Eagles all-star WR duo in a recent ranking
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DeVonta Smith left off a ranking of top talent from the 2021 NFL Draft
It seems like it was just yesterday, the 2021 NFL Draft. The Philadelphia Eagles were trying to put a 4-11-1 finish to the previous season behind them, and they owned a selection in the top half of Round 1. It was the dawn of the Nick Sirianni era. Everyone hoped DeVonta Smith would be the choice in Round 1, but there was some controversy. Some fans and media members hoped the Eagles might go with Micah Parsons or Justin Fields. Advertisement Parsons obviously would have given the Birds some defensive punch. Fields would have provided another option at the quarterback position if Philadelphia had determined they weren't sold on Jalen Hurts yet. Things worked out as they should have. DeVonta with the Eagles, and it's hard to imagine him in another jersey. It's also hard to figure out why he continues to be slighted when we discuss some of the game's great players. Eagles fans are tired of seeing DeVonta Smith disrespected. No one will ever forget where they were when DeVonta Smith hauled in that bomb from Tua Tagovailoa in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game or that beautiful toss from Jalen Hurts in Super Bowl 59. He's a former Heisman Trophy winner who also grabbed the Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award, Fred Biletnikoff Award, and Paul Hornung Award during his final run with the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2020 college football season. Advertisement As a rookie, he set an Eagles franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season. He's now a Super Bowl champion and one of the best players at his position, but he has yet to land on a Pro Bowl roster. He is also consistently left off lists like the following: DeVonta and A.J. Brown were both named on Pro Football Focus's list of the top 32 wide receivers in the NFL, but they couldn't have been further apart. A.J. found his way near the top of the list, and even though DeVonta should have been around the same area, he was fixated on the list's bottom half. That was noticeable (and controversial), but this FOX ranking felt like the last straw. Fans aren't having it. They've taken to social media to complain. Sure, this is (and fellow Eagle Landon Dickerson is also deserving of a mention), but it does beg the question. Where is DeVonta? Advertisement The answer to that question derives from something else that is rarely mentioned. Smith isn't often given the credit he deserves because Philly is home to elite wide receivers. Fans don't want to vote two Eagles receivers to the Pro Bowl every season. They don't want to name two Eagles as All-Pros. If Smith is placed on most of the NFL's other rosters, he's the top guy on the depth chart, but playing on a roster with so many great players sometimes means he'll be overlooked. That's just how it goes sometimes. Let's get back to FOX's list. Sure, most who are mentioned are deserving, and that begs the question. Who would be removed if DeVonta is added? That's a debate that would require another 1,000 words or so, but here's where we can begin the discussion. Let's start by giving Smith Trevor Lawrence's spot. What has he ever done to be ranked so high? This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: DeVonta Smith gets slighted in a ranking of talent from the 2021 draft
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
DeVonta Smith left off a ranking of top talent from the 2021 NFL Draft
DeVonta Smith left off a ranking of top talent from the 2021 NFL Draft Fox Sports ranked the top 10 players from the 2021 NFL draft and Eagles WR DeVonta Smith was left off the list as an obvious snub It seems like it was just yesterday, the 2021 NFL Draft. The Philadelphia Eagles were trying to put a 4-11-1 finish to the previous season behind them, and they owned a selection in the top half of Round 1. It was the dawn of the Nick Sirianni era. Everyone hoped DeVonta Smith would be the choice in Round 1, but there was some controversy. Some fans and media members hoped the Eagles might go with Micah Parsons or Justin Fields. Parsons obviously would have given the Birds some defensive punch. Fields would have provided another option at the quarterback position if Philadelphia had determined they weren't sold on Jalen Hurts yet. Things worked out as they should have. DeVonta with the Eagles, and it's hard to imagine him in another jersey. It's also hard to figure out why he continues to be slighted when we discuss some of the game's great players. Eagles fans are tired of seeing DeVonta Smith disrespected. No one will ever forget where they were when DeVonta Smith hauled in that bomb from Tua Tagovailoa in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game or that beautiful toss from Jalen Hurts in Super Bowl 59. He's a former Heisman Trophy winner who also grabbed the Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award, Fred Biletnikoff Award, and Paul Hornung Award during his final run with the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2020 college football season. As a rookie, he set an Eagles franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season. He's now a Super Bowl champion and one of the best players at his position, but he has yet to land on a Pro Bowl roster. He is also consistently left off lists like the following: DeVonta and A.J. Brown were both named on Pro Football Focus's list of the top 32 wide receivers in the NFL, but they couldn't have been further apart. A.J. found his way near the top of the list, and even though DeVonta should have been around the same area, he was fixated on the list's bottom half. That was noticeable (and controversial), but this FOX ranking felt like the last straw. Fans aren't having it. They've taken to social media to complain. Sure, this is (and fellow Eagle Landon Dickerson is also deserving of a mention), but it does beg the question. Where is DeVonta? The answer to that question derives from something else that is rarely mentioned. Smith isn't often given the credit he deserves because Philly is home to elite wide receivers. Fans don't want to vote two Eagles receivers to the Pro Bowl every season. They don't want to name two Eagles as All-Pros. If Smith is placed on most of the NFL's other rosters, he's the top guy on the depth chart, but playing on a roster with so many great players sometimes means he'll be overlooked. That's just how it goes sometimes. Let's get back to FOX's list. Sure, most who are mentioned are deserving, and that begs the question. Who would be removed if DeVonta is added? That's a debate that would require another 1,000 words or so, but here's where we can begin the discussion. Let's start by giving Smith Trevor Lawrence's spot. What has he ever done to be ranked so high?
