New York Jets: What will Devin Smith bring to the table?

Last Sunday, rookie Devin Smith made his NFL debut for the New York Jets. He joined the Jets as a second round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Fans are high on Smith and eagerly waited to see what he would bring to the Jets’ offense. Unfortunately, for Smith and the Jets, his summer was cut short due to a rib injury and his debut had to wait until Week 3.

Smith, for those that don’t know, was a dynamic deep threat wide receiver for Ohio State in his college days. He comes to the Jets standing 6’0 and weighing out as 196 pounds. Smith was a touchdown machine for the Buckeyes, finishing his career with 121 receptions, 2,503 yards and 30 touchdowns to his credit.

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In his senior season, Smith averaged 28.2 yards per reception, and over 50 percent of his catches were for twenty five yards or more.

Smith also was a track and field star for the Buckeyes for three seasons. A speedster, Smith ran both sprints and high jump for Ohio State. At the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Smith tied for second, setting a personal best in the high jump at 7′ 3″.

Proving his talent at the 2015 NFL Combine, Smith impressed the scouts by running a 4.42 second forty and putting up a 39 inch vertical jump, to go along with a 122 inch broad jump. He chose not to run the forty at his pro day, but was unofficially timed as low as 4.34 in college.

Jet fans have been calling for a deep threat receiver for quite a few years. The disappointing Stephen Hill, left fans drooling for something in the lines of Hill, but with soft hands. General manager Mike Maccagnan delivered in the form of Smith and many fans were more then happy to get him. Smith has the speed to clear out defenders for Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker underneath and he could prove to be the missing piece to an explosive Jets’ offense going forward.

Smith’s debut this past Sunday was long anticipated among Jet fans. He wasn’t spectacular by any means, but was pretty darn good for the first time out there in NFL action. He finished the day with 3 catches on 9 targets for 39 yards. That’s a 13.0 average per catch, if you were curious. A solid day for an NFL rookie who missed quite a bit of time in the preseason but it wasn’t without criticism from some circles.

Sep 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Eric Rowe (32) intercepts a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith (19) and rolls into the end zone for a touchback during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Smith is currently a raw product with a big upside to his game. He has the speed to succeed in the NFL and a nice set of soft nine inch hands to go along with it. His routes and techniques will need to develop as time goes on however. On Sunday, he failed to adjust to the deep ball in the air as he allowed defensive backs to shield him from the football.

His routes gathered little separation during the game, he rounded some of them off badly but needs to learn to come out of his break faster. Untypical of his game while at Ohio State, Smith failed to go up and fight for the contested balls. Fitzpatrick’s throws were off line but Smith needs to fight for them, at least try to knock that interception away, if you aren’t going to make the catch. The inexperience in his debut showed but remember, he missed a bunch of time with the rib injury and he’s being asked to play “catch up” while he’s out there making catches.

What Smith brings to the table for the Jets is a future deep threat wide receiver. He’ll make some big plays for the Jets this year, but he’ll also make some rookie mistakes that could cost them. He’s raw in his route tree but the skill-set is there to develop. Fans will need to be patient with him this year. I believe big things are in this young man’s future, but they’ll be some growing pains along the way.

Mike Maccagnan delivered big time by drafting Smith. Along with Marshall, Decker, Chris Owusu and Quincy Enunwa, Maccagnan provided a dynamic set of wide receivers for Chan Gailey to utilize. As Smith develops he will make this group that much better and offers the deep threat the Jets have been looking for.

May 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith (84) catches a pass during organized team activities at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

I think Smith develops into the real deal. Fans should be patient, and enjoy watching the development of a future NFL star. Smith has the skill-set, now the Jets just have to sit back and allow it all to come together for him. I’m personally looking forward to seeing Smith and Owusu on the field at the same time. It should be exciting! That will be a ton of top end speed on the field as Owusu has 4.36 speed as well.

What’s your take on this promising wide receiver? Will he be a future superstar for the Jets? The Jet Press values your opinions and I enjoy discussing the team with my readers. So please join us by leaving us a comment below and Let’s Talk Jet Football!!

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