Eagles WR DeVonta Smith 'Silent Assassin'? Talk is 'Wasted Energy'
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith may be known as the “Slim Reaper,” but an equally fitting nickname could be ‘The Silent Assassin,’ considering how he dominates on the football field.
Receivers can oftentimes be viewed as divas. In the past, players such as Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. have had outbursts on the sidelines demanding more targets, which negatively reflected on the position group and reinforced the stigma.
However, Smith isn’t your typical receiver. He manages to be confident without appearing cocky.
“All that talking is wasted energy,” Smith said while on The Pivot while agreeing with the sentiment that he’s a bad man on the football field who picks defensive backs apart.
But don’t confuse his silence on the gridiron with him being shy in big moments. As a freshman at Alabama, he burst into the scene in college by catching the championship game-winning touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa.
What many don’t know is how close Smith came to never becoming a household name as a football player.
Smith broke his collarbone in high school after tripping in a pregame walkthrough. He then tried to quit the sport for good. Luckily, his coaches persisted and eventually got him back on the field, allowing him to become the star he is today.
Despite his high school injury, Philly’s thin-framed receiver embraces the game's physicality.
“I ain’t gonna run from nothing. I’m here,” Smith said.
He also confirmed stories about how games where hits have made him bleed motivate him to play harder to prove his defenders haven’t gotten the best of him.
So far, Smith has been a killer on the football field, defying the stereotypes about receivers’ personalities and the frames they need to succeed.
In college, he won the Heisman and had arguably the most outstanding season by a receiver in history his senior year. Yet, he remains humble, placing himself third all-time among wide receivers from Alabama behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.
Whether you call him “Slim Reaper” or “Silent Assassin” doesn’t matter. The goal this season is for him to get labeled as a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career. With over 2,100 receiving yards through his first two seasons, don’t be surprised if the unsuspecting receiver takes another step forward and becomes an undeniable NFL star in year three as the Eagles look to win the Super Bowl.
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