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DeVonta Smith or Ja’Marr Chase? Mel Kiper Jr. weighs in on which WR is higher on NFL Draft board
By Keith Farner
Published:
The combination of LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase’s opt out of this season, and the emergence of Alabama WR DeVonta Smith has shuffled the draft board for NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.
Chase entered the season as the higher-ranked prospect as he won the Biletnikoff Award last year, and was widely believed to be the best wide receiver in the country. But in the weeks since, Smith has pulled ahead of Chase in Kiper’s eyes. He has Smith as the fifth-best player in the draft and Chase as the sixth.
“DeVonta Smith has impressed from day one,” Kiper Jr. said Saturday morning on SEC Nation, per 247Sports. “Every year, regardless of who the other receivers have been whether it’s Henry Ruggs III or Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle this year, (Smith) has been a touchdown maker, 31 career touchdowns. He’s been consistent. … He’s just a great player. Ja’Marr Chase opted out, so Smith and Chase are battling to see who the first receiver taken will be.”
Kiper has long believed Smith is a first-round talent, but now he has him near the top of the draft.
In February, about Alabama wide receivers, Kiper said, per Charlie Potter, “DeVonta Smith would have been a first-round pick had he came out this year. He’ll certainly be a first next year. … Jaylen Waddle’s a guy that’s not even draft eligible that was going to be a high pick.”
Smith is fifth in the country in receiving with 56 catches for 759 yards and eight touchdowns.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
