DeVonta Smith Takes Over in Philadelphia, Helping Jalen Hurts and Maybe Even Jalen Reagor

Neil Dutton
April 29, 2021

With the 10th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected wide receiver DeVonta Smith from Alabama. The Eagles sent a third-round pick to their NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys to move up from 12 to 10 to take Smith.

Smith comes into the NFL after an illustrious four-year stint with the Crimson Tide. In 47 games for Alabama, Smith caught 235 passes for 3,965 yards and 46 touchdowns. Fully 117 of the receptions, 1,856 of the yards, and a staggering 23 of the touchdowns came during the 2020 season, after which he won the Heisman Trophy. This award is not typically awarded to WRs, but Smith’s insane production ensured his recognition was warranted.

The Fit with the Eagles

The Eagles have now taken WRs in the first round in back-to-back drafts, after selecting Jalen Reagor last season. Reagor was a WR Prospect Lab star coming out of TCU, but still not nearly as decorated as Smith. Smith also brings a familiarity with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who played with Smith at Alabama before he moved to Oklahoma. It is not hard to see Smith stepping into the WR1 chair for the Eagles straight away, with Reagor joining him on the outside. The Eagles have Dallas Goedert at tight end, and old faithful Greg Ward to man the slot. I would expect the Eagles to try to lean on their ground game in 2021, given Hurts’ skill set. But they’ll still have to throw the ball, and when they do, they’ll be looking for Smith.

What Do The Advanced Stats Tell Us?

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Please subscribe For Full Access to all RotoViz content and tools!

What’s included in your subscription??

Exclusive Access to RotoViz Study Hall
- A treasure trove of our most insightful articles that will teach you the metrics that matter, time-tested winning strategies, the approaches that will give you an edge, and teach you how to be an effective fantasy manager.
Revolutionary Tools
- Including the NFL Stat Explorer, Weekly GLSP Projections, NCAA Prospect Box Score Scout, Combine Explorer, Range of Outcomes App, DFS Lineup Optimizer, Best Ball Suite,and many, many, more.
Groundbreaking Articles
- RotoViz is home of the original Zero-RB article and continues to push fantasy gamers forward as the go-to destination for evidence-based analysis and strategic advantages.
Weekly Projections
- Built using RotoViz’s unique GLSP approach.
Expert Rankings
And a whole lot more…

Neil Dutton

Lead Writer, soft spot for the tight end position. Will never stop loving Duke Johnson.

You’re Juwan That I Want: Week 3 Tight End Streamers

Neil Dutton September 17, 2025

Almost incredibly, we are onto Week 3. Injuries are starting to play a part in lineup decisions, with several starting quarterbacks suffering injuries last week. But we are not here to talk about QBs. Our job today is to give you some idea of reinforcements at the tight end spot. I have three names for you that I would slide into my lineups this week,…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Keon Coleman Did What? RotoViz Reacts to Week 1

Neil Dutton September 11, 2025

This is the first installment of a weekly series where RotoViz writers react to something they saw from the last week of NFL action that took them completely by surprise. They will then follow on with their predictions for something they DO expect to see in the coming week of action. Week 1 of the 2025 season saw some weird stuff, so there should be…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Stranger Things: Week 2 Tight End Streamers

Neil Dutton September 10, 2025

Week 1 of the season is always weird. This year was no exception. For the first time since Week 15 of the 2018 season, precisely zero tight ends managed 16 PPR points in a game. This was despite four players commanding target shares in excess of 27%! Week 1 also saw injuries to key players, with George Kittle and Brock Bowers both picking up knocks…....