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Last time we checked in with ESPN draft expert Todd McShay, he awarded LSU wide receiver La’Marr Chase to the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall pick in his first mock draft of the offseason.
With the playoffs now over and the entire first-round draft order settled, McShay took another shot at a mockery, and the results are somewhat similar for the Lions. McShay sticks to the wide receiver position, but this time shifts his pick to Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
In this scenario, the quarters took off from the plateau. The top four passers went to the top four: Trevor Lawrence at the Jaguars, Zach Wilson at the Jets, Trey Lance at the Panthers (after a trade with the Dolphins) and Justin Fields at the Falcons.
This allowed many talented non-quarterbacks to fall into the draft against the Lions. With offensive tackle Penei Sewell and Chase off the field, the Lions could take the best defensive player in the draft or find the second best tackle or wide receiver. McShay took the receptor path.
With Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola set to become free agents – and the Detroit Lions not having much room to offer them a competitive deal – McShay thinks Detroit needs to tackle that top in the draft.
“It’s a problem, but not a problem that winner Heisman can’t help solve,” McShay wrote. “Smith is explosive, racking up 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns in his last year.
In 2020, Smith enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons for a wide receiver in college football. Those 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns resulted in the first Heisman Trophy awarded to a wide receiver since 1991 (Desmond Howard) and just the fourth in history. Smith really shone in the national championship game, collecting 215 yards and three touchdowns in just two quarterbacks.
Smith injured his finger in that game, which resulted in surgery. However, he should have a fully operational finger by the time the 2021 season rolls around.
Smith’s biggest concern, however, is his size. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, there isn’t much precedent for a successful receiver in the NFL.
There are over 2,500 WRs in the RAS database with recorded height and weight.
More than 2100 from 2000 to 2020.
From these? Only 27 were 6 feet or more and less than 180 pounds.
From these? A single receiver since 2000 with these measurements has broken 750 yards in a single season.
– Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) January 3, 2021
That being said, Smith’s athleticism is hard to ignore, and for a Detroit team that have needed a quick receiver for some time, Smith is a guy who could come in and contribute immediately.
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