Eagles first round pick DeVonta Smith has the chance to do something that no wide receiver has ever done before.
Win the Heisman Trophy followed by being named Associated Press NFL rookie offensive player of the year.
Only three receivers have ever won college football’s top honor: Michigan’s Desmond Howard (1991), Notre Dame’s Tim Brown (1987) and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers (1972). That may explain why the Eagles top selection is listed at +1600 ($10 bet to win $160) to win rookie of the year honors (odds per NBC Sports betting Partner PointsBet).
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Those odds, along with wide out Jaylen Waddle, have him listed with the 9th best chance to win the award. The number one overall pick and now Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the leader of the pack at +275.
In fact, the last non-quarterback to win the Heisman and offensive rookie of the year was Abington’s Eddie George with Ohio State in 1995 and the Houston Oilers in 1996. Additionally, since 2000 only 3 wide receivers have won the league’s top prize for first year offensive players with the last coming in 2014 (Odell Beckahm Jr. - Giants).
Smith’s over/under on receiving yards is 750.5. The Eagles rookie record for receiving yards is 912 held by DeSean Jackson (2008). So many factors will go into just how productive Smith will be in year one including the play of quarterback Jalen Hurts and the coaching scheme of new head coach Nick Sirianni.
Something else to consider is the Eagles’ expectations are not very high from a sports betting perspective. The Eagles are listed near the bottom to win the title this year with odds at +6000 ($10 bet to win $600). Only the Jaguars, Jets, Bengals, Lions, and Texans have higher odds.
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If you want a sign of optimism, just last Thursday the Eagles’ odds were at +10000 ($10 bet to win $1000).
The selection of DeVonta Smith has them trending in the right direction… at least on paper.
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