The Indianapolis Colts most likely won’t have the chance to select former Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith in the 2021 NFL draft, but his closet pro comparison is that of a legendary member of the team’s Ring of Honor.
In drawing comparisons for Touchdown Wire’s top-50 prospects, Mark Schofield gave Smith the comparison of Colts legend Marvin Harrison.
Comparing prospects to one of the league’s best at a position is often a fool’s errand, but the DeVonta Smith/Marvin Harrison comparison fits for a few reasons. Sure there is a frame/size angle, but both are silky-smooth route runners with great feel for leverage and “full body route running.”
No matter how good a prospect is, it’s always dangerous comparing them to a Hall of Famer. But in Smith’s case, there really is no clean comparison. Even the one of Harrison, which is the closest comp, differs in some way.
Smith is an outlier through and through. We learned that Smith measured in at 6-foot-0 and 166 pounds during the medical checks in Indy. That gives him a BMI of 22.5. Since 1980, there hasn’t been a wide receiver drafted in the first round with a BMI under 24.
But Smith proved he’s a unicorn. The 2020 Heisman Trophy winner broke the SEC record for receiving yards (1,856) and touchdowns (24) in a single season.
Teams may have a hard time trusting that Smith will be able to hold up at such a low BMI, but his skill set makes him the most complete receiver in the draft. That BMI is what keeps him from being the WR1 in this class.
Harrison made a Hall of Fame career despite being undersized. Can Smith be the next one to do it?
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