It almost sounded like a press conference that could be happening next Thursday night after the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
"I think the first part is good players come in all shapes and sizes," Howie Roseman said, "and so we're not going to discriminate based on any of those things."
"Yeah, I think, again," head coach Nick Sirianni said, "these guys come in different shapes and sizes."
Roseman and Sirianni weren't specially discussing Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, but their answers sure sounded like ones they will be giving if they do draft the undersized receiver at No. 12 overall.
While everyone already knew Smith was undersized, his weight on Wednesday was reported to be, per Sports Illustrated, 6-foot, 166 pounds. That sent the worry about how Smith's small stature could impact his ability to play in the NFL into overdrive, and whether he could lineup on the outside as a true No. 1 receiver.
Sirianni, while not discussing Smith directly, didn't sound like a coach that would be concerned about Smith's ability to play on the outside, or the "X" role.
"What's an X receiver look like? Well, I've had different Xs. I've had [Colts WR] TY Hilton who was 5'9", 180 pounds. He played X for us. I've had [former Chiefs WR] Dwayne Bowe who was 6'2", 220 pounds. He played X for us. I had [Chargers WR] Keenan Allen who was 6'3", 200 -- all these guys that I'm saying, TY was fast; Keenan was quick, not fast; Dwayne Bowe was powerful. They all played different," Sirianni said. "So it's just a matter of can that guy do what you want, that person to do on the outside. Really when you say X, it's can he win one-on-one match-ups consistently. So it's just who can do that. Who can win the one-on-one match-up consistently so the quarterback can take the ball, go one, two, three, four, five, hitch throw, ball's out, everybody is better in front of him because of it….Can you do what I just said, can you win consistently one-on-one."
If that is what the Eagles are looking for in a receiver, then it is easy to see them overlooking Smith's weight and taking him at No. 12.
Smith might be undersized, but there also might not be a better receiver in the draft when it comes to route running and an ability to win at the line of scrimmage. Jaylen Waddle, for example, might weight more and be faster, but he is not considered as advanced when it comes to an ability to win at the line of scrimmage.
Smith's ability to win at the line in college, where cornerbacks can be much more physical, is an encouraging sign for his ability to win one-on-one matchups in the NFL.
Sirianni also highlighted another skill Smith displayed in college — an ability to make contested catches.
"They've got to get used to releasing off the ball. That's a big thing. When these corners are up in your face, they've got to get used to releasing off the football and winning off the football," Sirianni said. "What else do they got to get used to? They've got to get used to catching the ball in traffic and catching the ball with bodies around them. Usually there's no bodies around them. They get open so much that they're right here and there's no bodies around them. And so now they're catching the ball here, and boom, the ball is getting smacked out of their hands."
Smith displayed at Alabama an ability to adjust to the ball in the air and come down with contested catches consistently, much more than Waddle did.
Will the Eagles draft Smith at No. 12? We won't find that out until next Thursday.
His size, however, appears to not be an issue for either Roseman or Sirianni.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
