A scale and measuring tape became the big story at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday in Mobile, Ala.
Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith of Alabama, participating in the draft prospect event along with multiple Crimson Tide players, opted not to have official height and weight measurements taken on Tuesday.
Smith, listed at 6-1, 175 pounds on the Alabama roster, said he will wait until the Alabama pro day in March to have those measurements recorded.
Size is the critical question for evaluators attempting to make an appraisal of Smith’s NFL value. He is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2021 draft and is Field Level Media’s top-rated wide receiver.
Smith is not participating in on-field workouts after injuring his pointer finger in the national championship game earlier this month.
Entering the NFL at 170-175 pounds is not unprecedented, and recent examples include Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs. But Smith also was clocked at 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the South Alabama pro day.
Smith caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior at Alabama. Smith also led the team in receptions last season, when he opted not to enter the 2020 NFL Draft but watched teammates Henry Ruggs (12th overall, Las Vegas Raiders) and Jerry Jeudy (15th, Denver Broncos) be selected in the first round.
One of the NFL’s all-time great wide receivers, Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts, measured at 6-0, 181 pounds at the Scouting Combine. The 13-year pro was drafted 19th overall in 1996 and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
(Field Level Media)
