MOBILE, Ala. — Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith has already pictured himself in a Miami Dolphins uniform reuniting with former college teammate Tua Tagovailoa, and the thought could be mutual.
“We just talked about it would be nice to run it back again,” Smith told NFL Network after Tuesday’s practice at the Senior Bowl about the possibility of teaming up again with the Dolphins’ starting quarterback. “Not too much, but somewhat talked about it.”
The Dolphins hold the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and the team has a big need for more explosive playmakers for Tagovailoa. Smith, who became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard in 1991 and only the second since 1940, would certainly fit that criterion.
Smith is participating in meetings and watching practices along with Dolphins coaches at the Senior Bowl, but he is not participating on the field because of a dislocated finger suffered in Alabama’s national championship victory over Ohio State. He had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in that game before the injury.
He was wearing a black wrap on his right hand Tuesday.
The biggest question about Smith leading up to the draft is whether his size will hinder his becoming a top-five pick. Alabama listed Smith as 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, and he declined to weigh in at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday. He said he’d wait until Alabama’s pro day to do full measurements.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores doesn’t seem too worried about Smith’s size affecting their evaluation of him.
“This guy is a very, very good player. You can nitpick all you want about a guy’s size, but good players are good players are good players. We all can see that,” Flores said Tuesday. “This guy is a very good player. He made a lot of plays in college. He made a lot of plays in the biggest games of the year. You can nitpick all day on things on people. He’s a very good player, and it’s been good getting to know him. He’s a good kid, too.”
Smith played bigger than his size in college, as he regularly found a way to separate from press coverage, broke tackles in the open field and proved to be durable throughout his four-year career at Alabama.
If the Dolphins want Smith, they might have some competition. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects Smith going No. 2 to the New York Jets in his first mock draft, with the Dolphins taking LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase at No. 3.
Running back Najee Harris, Smith’s teammate at Alabama, is also participating under the tutelage of Dolphins coaches at the Senior Bowl and also could be on the team’s radar to reunite with Tagovailoa in Miami. The Dolphins have four picks in the top 50 of the NFL draft (Nos. 3, 18, 35 and 50).