MILEBIL, Alabama. – Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith has already been pictured in a Miami Dolphins uniform meeting with former teammate Tua Tagovailoa, and the thought could be mutual.
“We just talked about it would be nice to run it again,” Smith told the NFL Network after Tuesday’s practice in the Senior Bowl about the possibility of teaming up again with the Dolphins starting quarterback. “Not too much, but let’s talk about it a little bit.”
The Dolphins have the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft and the team is in dire need of more explosive game makers for Tagovailoa. Smith, who became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard in 1991 and only the second since 1940, would certainly fit that criterion.
Smith participates in meetings and observes practices alongside Dolphins coaches in the Senior Bowl, but does not participate on the field due to a dislocated finger suffered in the Alabama National Championship victory over the state of Ohio. He had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in that game before the injury.
On Tuesday he was wearing a black wrapper in his right hand.
The biggest question about Smith before the draft is whether his size will make it difficult for him to become one of the top five. Alabama included Smith as a 6-foot-1, 175-pound, and this Tuesday didn’t want to weigh in on the Senior Bowl. He said he would wait for Alabama Professional Day to make the full measurements.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores doesn’t seem too worried about Smith’s size affecting his assessment.
“This guy is a very, very good player. You can pick anything you want about the size of a man, but good players are good players, they are good players. We can all see that,” Flores said Tuesday. “This guy is a very good player. He made a lot of plays in college. He made a lot of plays in the biggest games of the year. He can be done all day to people. He’s a very good player and I’ve been good. knowing him. He’s a good kid, too. “
Smith played more than his size in college, as he regularly found a way to break away from the press, broke open field attacks, and proved to be enduring during his four-year career in Alabama.
If the dolphins want Smith, they may have some competition. Mel Kiper Jr. ESPN projects that Smith will reach No. 2 in the New York Jets in his first draft drill, with the Dolphins occupying LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase at No. 3.
Runner Najee Harris, Smith’s teammate in Alabama, also participates under the tutelage of Dolphins coaches in the Senior Bowl and could also be on the team’s radar to meet with Tagovailoa in Miami. The Dolphins have four picks in the top 50 of the NFL Draft (Nos. 3, 18, 35 and 50).