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Fantasy Football Rankings 2021: Rookie wide receivers and dynasty

By Drew DeLuca

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 13: Wide Receiver Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the LSU Tigers makes a catch over Cornerback A.J. Terrell #8 of the Clemson Tigers for a touchdown during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. LSU defeated Clemson 42 to 25. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 13: Wide Receiver Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the LSU Tigers makes a catch over Cornerback A.J. Terrell #8 of the Clemson Tigers for a touchdown during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. LSU defeated Clemson 42 to 25. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI GARDENS, FL: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a 42-yard touchdown during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 11, 2021. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a 42-yard touchdown during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 11, 2021. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

2021 Fantasy Football Rookie WR2: DeVonta Smith

A few months ago, DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. His level of production in what most consider the toughest conference in college football was something to behold.

Smith scored 38 touchdowns in 25 games over the past two seasons while playing in arguably the toughest conference in college football. He hauled in an insane 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2020, catching 79.6 percent of his targets in the process.

It has become quite trendy to knock Smith due to his slighter-than-ideal frame (6’0″, 166), and we understand why some fade him for such: the NFL is filled with defenders who are bigger, faster, and hit harder than even those Smith faced in the SEC.

However, this is not your father’s Todd Pinkston we’re talking about here: Smith’s production is on another planet and compares far more favorably to Marvin Harrison, who played about 10-15 pounds heavier than Smith weighs right now as a 22-year-old rookie.

We will be surprised, but not shocked, if Smith lasts beyond No. 12 in Thursday’s NFL Draft, as he’s a no-brainer selection for the Eagles in that spot; his presence there would presumably mean that cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn would be off the board already. We expect the Lions to select Smith with the seventh overall pick and take the matter out of the Eagles’ hands entirely.

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