Despite the fact that he won the Heisman and dominated the SEC, it is safe to say that there are plenty of people skeptical of new Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith simply because of the fact he is undersized at 166 pounds.
The skepticism, and proving the skeptics wrong, is clearly something Smith is used to.
Smith was recently on Chris Long's podcast Green Light, and in addition to speaking on a number of different topics, Smith spoke at length about how he struggled to get a college scholarship because of his weight.
"When I went to Georgia, Coach Pruitt was there and he didn't want me to run with the top group. So my mentor was just sitting there the whole time and he was like 'Coach, I'm telling you, he is going to kill whoever you put in front of him.' And (coach) was like 'Nah, nah, I'm not worrying about him.' And then I snuck in the line one time and then first play, go route, I just beat the dude. It was too easy," Smith said. "Then I ran down and gave my mentor the ball, and he shouted 'Coach Pruitt I told you!' I just kept going back and kept killing it, and it was like this is just how it was when you are going to sit up there and doubt me, now I am going to do whatever I have to do just to show you now. You can sit up there and make me go to the other field, I am going to find my way back in this line."
The entire podcast, and how Smith got the attention of Alabama despite living the small town of Amite City, Louisiana, is worth a listen.
The story is a great look into not only how long Smith has been dealing with having to prove to scouts, coaches and fans wrong, but that at each step of the way, he has overcome the concerns about his weight.
The Eagles are counting on Smith continuing to do just that in the NFL.
