Eagles WR DeVonta Smith: Newest WR1 Lands At No. 7 On Top-25

DeVonta Smith is set to have his moment.

The 2026 season is the opportunity for Smith to prove he's one of the best receivers in the NFL. Not many of the experts believe that to be the case.

Smith can certainly rise up the wide receiver rankings this season, just by default. He has three 1,000-yard seasons in his five years in the league, tied for the second-most 1,000-yard seasons in Eagles history. Smith's 5,019 receiving yards are the most for any Eagles player after their first five seasons in franchise history.

And the majority of those years Smith was the WR2 to A.J. Brown (more of a 1A).

This season is a golden opportunity for Smith to not only prove he's a WR1, but show he's one of the top receivers in football.

On the Eagles On SI Top-25 players, Smith comes in as No. 7.

Why Smith is so important

When the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the Patriots, Smith moved up to the WR1 spot in the offense. Not only is Smith going to receive the most targets, but he will be the focal point in the passing game.

Having Smith as the WR1 is massive, as this offense is tailor made for his skill set. Already one of the better route runners in the league, Smith is going to get the football quickly and have the ability to create yards after the catch.

Smith has proven he's one of the better deep ball receivers in football, and that part of his game will still play a factor in this offense. The Eagles have a golden opportunity to showcase how good Smith is to the rest of the league, as he'll be a nightmare for defensive backs if Sean Mannion utilizes him properly.

That should be a safe bet. Smith is primed for a big year.

What type of year should we expect from Smith?

This is how productive Smith has been as the WR2 over the past four seasons.

Smith is 11th amongst all NFL players in receiving yards, 13th in receptions, and 14th in receiving touchdowns since the start of the 2022 season. He posted three 1,000-yard seasons over that stretch and has 321 catches for 4,103 yards and 26 touchdowns since the start of the 2022 season.

The most targets Smith has ever received in a season is 136. That was also the year Smith had the most catches (95) and receiving yards (1,196) in a season (2022). Smith should receive more than 136 targets this season by default.

More targets means more opportunities. Smith could have a season in comparison to Jaxon Smith-Njigba when the Seahawks traded D.K. Metcalf and allowed Smith-Njigba to become the WR1 in their offense.

Perhaps Smith won't put up those numbers, but his production will go up.

What happens if Smith gets hurt?

The Eagles are in trouble.

If Smith does happen to miss time, Philadelphia will have Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Hollywood Brown as the top recievers. Wicks isn't consistently productive and Brown was brought in for depth at wide receiver.

Lemon is the only player of the three that has upside as a WR1, and he's a rookie. That's a lot to ask from Lemon in year one.

The Eagles need Smith to play all 17 games this season. If he ha sto miis time, the passing offense will be in a lot of trouble.

Why we ranked Smith here

Smith finished at No. 7 based on a final vote tally from the three Eagles on SI voters: Publisher/Editor Jeff Kerr, insider John McMullen, and writer Ed Kracz. Smith finished with 19 points, on a scale where the lowest points wins.

Kerr voted Smith eighth, while McMullen had Smith sixth and Kracz had him fifth.

Here are where the other Eagles on the top-25 list landed so far. We're getting to the best of the best.

No. 8 -- Jordan Mailata (22 points)

No. 9 -- Jalen Hurts (26 points)

No. 10 -- Jordan Davis (30 points)

No. 11 -- Landon Dickerson (33 points)

No. 12 -- Jonathan Greenard (34 points)

No. 13 -- Dallas Goedert (40 points)

No. 14 -- Moro Ojomo (46 points)

No. 15 Jalyx Hunt (47 points)

No. 16 -- Cam Jurgens (49 points)

No. 17 -- Tariq Woolen (49 points)