PHILADELPHIA — Last season, DeVonta Smith never had a moment when he realized he was one of the best receivers in the league.
Not even after his iconic, one-handed, fourth-down catch in the NFC championship game that sparked the Eagles’ return to the Super Bowl. That’s because the 24-year-old has always — “humbly,” he said — seen himself as a top-10 receiver.
“As you go on, you just continue to raise your level of play,” Smith said Wednesday during a media availability session at the NovaCare Complex. “I think that comes [with] more understanding of the game and things like that. Just being confident in myself, in my abilities. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have many guys that come up here and say they don’t think they’re not.”
Smith is entering his third season in the NFL. In Year 1, he set a franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie. In Year 2, he finished with 95 regular-season receptions to set another record for most catches by a receiver in franchise history.
In an interview Tuesday on the Paper Route podcast, featuring host Brandon Marshall, who was an NFL wide receiver for 13 seasons, Smith was asked if he felt slighted by not being in the top-five-receiver conversation.
“Nah, nope, I wouldn’t put myself nowhere up there with those guys,” Smith said on the show. “Those guys, they have the numbers to speak for it. I still have a long way to go. Do I envision myself being there? ... Eventually.
“Definitely, I would say top 10.”
Though he’s still developing, Smith is on the trajectory for another big season. He finished last season with 1,196 yards, and seven touchdowns, while being paired with top receiver A.J. Brown, who finished the regular season with 88 receptions, 1,496 yards, and 11 touchdowns.
Any concern that the 2021 first-round draft pick would be overshadowed with the addition of Brown proved not to be the case as the two quickly became one of the best receiving duos in Eagles history.
“Last year was kind of fast on us with A.J. just getting here,” Smith said Wednesday on building a connection with Brown. “We didn’t have that true full offseason to get to know each other, have dinner, and things like that. I think now it’s way better. We have more time on our hands. Then going through the season, you see how each other reacts, but I feel like it’s going good.”
Smith said he has spent the offseason so far rehabbing a toe injury but is healthy now. He hopes to take his game to the next level with his mental preparation for the defenses he’ll face. In terms of physical preparation?
“It really hasn’t changed; I feel like I got into a good routine,” he said. “I know who I want to train with and where I want to train, and just kind of sticking to that.”
Rookies make an early impression
The Eagles defense is surrounding its veterans with youth. They retained veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham on one-year deals, and drafted two Georgia pass rushers in Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith in the first round.
The work ethic of Carter and Smith has already caught the attention of their new teammates.
“They’re professionals, man,” said defensive end Josh Sweat. “It’s actually surprising coming out of college, but they’re working and they’re just here to learn and making improvement quickly.
“They’ve been on championship teams already, they know how to go about their business.”
Nakobe Dean, who played with Carter and Smith at Georgia, could become the Eagles’ starting linebacker in his second season.
“Football is football,” said Dean, who isn’t worried about the group looking different compared to last season.
