Devin Smith, WR Ohio St

[DaCityKats]

Devin Smith, WR Ohio St.

 

Devin is listed at 6'1, 200. he is a senior from the town of Massillon, Ohio. HS long jump champion, and also ran on the 4x200 state qualifying team. has 118 catches with 2300 yards receiving. on top of that, 26 TDs. as stated in previous post, i like for the receivers  to have over 20 career TDs, or can score in many different ways.(running, returns, catching)

 

 

strengths- Wins vertically going up the field. Devin has really good vertical speed, and OSU takes full advantage of this.he eats up cushions very quick because of his speed, and if you press him, you have to have someone over top to help. in the last 2 years, he has caught TD passes from 4 different QBs. 

 

in the Cal 2013 game, his second TD showcases his speed. (his first TD came on a 80 yard bomb where the safety could get over top after the CB jumped the bubble screen. but the second TD was a lot better.) 1st and 10 from the 47 yard line, OSU comes out in a twins right, pro left formation. respecting the speed of Devin, the CB plays off coverage, with inside leverage. Devin is lined up as the outside WR on the twins side. this is either cover 3, off , or some type of combo coverage.(cover 4 to the twins, and cover 2 to the pro set.)

 

as the ball is snapped, Devin comes off the line showing his acceleration, and eating the CB cushion up very fast. since the CB turned his back to the QB, this shows the WR/QB that the defense is in man coverage. Devin sets up the route by stemming outside, and quickly cutting towards the goal post in the middle of the field. not losing any speed.

 

 

finishes the play by tracking the ball over his shoulder, with the CB on his heels. this is a very difficult catch to hold on to. waited until the last minute, and extended his arms out to make the catch.

 

 

winning at the catch point is a huge thing for WRs. Devin has showed this on numerous occasions. here is one.

 

more times then not, Devin can climb the ladder and attack a ball at it's high point. he also makes catches in traffic.

he can line up in slot, and on the outside. 

 

is a willing blocker. helped backs score from long distances with down field blocking.  

 

weakness- route tree. scheme played a lot into this. he normally ran vertical routes, post, fly, corner, some curls, and comebacks. teams respected his speed, so he would help other guys get open.(including Corey Brown last year)

does not posses a lot of wiggle, but does have some moves. more straight line guy.

 

 

 

[DaCityKats]

here vs. Michigan St. the CB shows press man coverage. after the play begins. the CB is playing press, man bail coverage. 

 

after releasing outside, he gets vertical up the field, but looks to be covered. 

 

he was stacking the CB, to get the separation he needed to make the catch. over the shoulder, on the outside, with his hands. this is a very difficult catch.

 

in conclusion, this is the type of WR the panthers should be looking for. considering the panther scouts seemed to have spent some time at OSU last year, looking at Brown and Norwell, i think this guy was dead on the panthers radar. panther scouts have visited some OSU games this year. this team needs someone who can win vertically up the field, and Devin can. CBS has him as a 7th rounder, but i think he goes a lot higher then that. i can really see him going in the late 2nd-4th round range. daniel jeremiah  and a scout had this to say about him.

 

 

The guy to watch out for in the draft is (Ohio State WR) Devin Smith. Media guys are going to be slow to catch up on him, but he's going to shoot up draft boards. He's bigger than (Florida State's) Rashad Greene and faster. Ohio State should have used him better." - NFC North scout

 

Smith isn't a big wide receiver by NFL standards (verified 6 feet and 199 pounds), but he has blazing vertical speed. He finished the 2014 season with just 26 catches, his lowest total since his freshman season, but had at least one catch of at least 30 yards in 10 of 12 games, giving him a healthy average of 25.5 yards per catch. Smith has the type of speed that "will match Phillip Dorsett at the combine," the scout said, referring to the Miami receiver with mid-4.4 speed. 

Smith, a senior, stepped up and helped the sophomore get comfortable in short order. Smith (6-foot-1, 199 pounds) is big, fast and physical. He has great ball skills to go up and get it. All of those attributes were on display Saturday night.I don't see him going any lower than the second round of the draft, and I look forward to taking a closer look at him during the lead-up to the draft.Smith isn't mentioned in the same category as guys like Alabama's Amari Cooper, Louisville's DeVante Parker and West Virginia's Kevin White. Smith might not be as well-rounded as those players, but he's a gifted vertical receiver and has a lot of good tools to work with as he prepares to develop his game for the next level.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000439508/article/ohio-state-buckeyes-wr-devin-smiths-nfl-draft-stock-on-rise

[*FreeFua*]

Awesome stuff man! Always enjoy hearing your take on these prospects.

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the prospect he is after you mentioned his name awhile back. Athletic with NFL size and elite speed, hard not to like.

He'd be the perfect compliment to Kelvin. I think he'll end up going somewhere in the same spot as Paul Richardson last draft. Josh Doctson is another athletic kid I like but it's been said he'll be returning to TCU next year.

Tonight will be a huge night for Devin!

[DaCityKats]

Awesome stuff man! Always enjoy hearing your take on these prospects.

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the prospect he is after you mentioned his name awhile back. Athletic with NFL size and elite speed, hard not to like.

He'd be the perfect compliment to Kelvin. I think he'll end up going somewhere in the same spot as Paul Richardson last draft. Josh Doctson is another athletic kid I like but it's been said he'll be returning to TCU next year.

Tonight will be a huge night for Devin!

 2 catches for over 20+ yards a piece and a TD.

[Jackofalltrades]

Do want.

[davos]

I like a good deal of the players on OSU this year.  This kid looks the part for the NFL.  

[*FreeFua*]

2 catches for over 20+ yards a piece and a TD.

He plays the ball in the air so well. If Gettleman still wants "touchdown-scorers" he's basically the definition.

I was hoping OSU would lose last night because I don't want this kids stock to rise anymore than it already has.

[Captain Morgan]

[DaCityKats]

I want see how he handles getting off press coverage. How is his hand combat with DBs pressing and strength to get off the Los clean.

This will be tested in the next 2 weeks especially since he has been added to the senior bowl roster. If he has a big week, look for him to rise some more and solidify himself as a 2nd-3rd rounder.

[Jackofalltrades]

This kid is my top choice at the moment.

[LinvilleGorge]

Want so much. He's exactly what our offense needs.

[Kuech the Sneak]

I'm gonna have to look into him now

[DaCityKats]

I'm gonna have to look into him now

the best deep threat in the game. got the stats to back it up as well.

[*FreeFua*]

Was surprised with the lack of snaps Devin got last night. However, with Zeke doing work there wasn't much need for him.

On his one catch he slipped a few yards afters his get off and was still able to get down field and make a play.

He's someone would want to bring in and have run a route tree just to see what he's capable of. It'll be interesting to see how high he goes in the draft. You always need guys that can win vertically. I wish Carolina would start surrounding Cam with the kind of guys Pittsburgh surrounds Ben with.