MOBILE, Ala – Heisman trophy winner DeVonta Smith has already introduced himself in a Miami Dolphins uniform with former teammate Tua Tagovailoa, and the thought may be reciprocal.
“We were just talking about it being nice to give it back,” Smith told the NFL Network after Tuesday’s practice at the Senior Bowl about the possibility of working with the Dolphins’ starting lineup again. “Not too much, but talked about it.”
The Dolphins have the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and the team has a great need for more explosive playmakers 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 meet that criterion.
Smith attends meetings and watches practices with Dolphins coaches at the Senior Bowl, but he does not participate on the field due to a dislocated finger in Alabama’s national victory over the state of Ohio. He had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in that game before the injury.
He wore a black cover on his right hand on Tuesday.
The biggest question about Smith ahead of the draft is whether his size will hamper it to become a top-five pick. Alabama indicated Smith as £ 175, and he did not want to weigh in at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday. He said he will wait until Alabama’s pro day to do the full measurements.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores doesn’t seem too worried about Smith’s size affecting their evaluation of him.
“This guy is a very, very good player. You can choose anything you want, about the size of a man, but good players are good players are good players. We can all see that,” Flores said Tuesday. “This guy is a very good player. He played a lot at university. He played a lot in the biggest games of the year. You can reflect on people all day. He’s a very good player, and that’s it. “It’s been good to get to know him. He’s a good kid, too.”
Smith played bigger than his partner in college as he regularly found a way to separate from press coverage, broke into the open field and proved enduring during his four-year career in Alabama.
If the Dolphins want Smith, they might have competition. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects Smith to go No. 2 to the New York Jets in his first spot, with the Dolphins taking LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase at No. 3.
Back player Najee Harris, Smith’s teammate in Alabama, is also taking part in the Senior Bowl under the supervision of Dolphins coaches and could also be on the team’s radar to reunite with Tagovailoa in Miami. The Dolphins have four picks in the top 50 of the NFL draft (Nos. 3, 18, 35 and 50).