Alabama Football: 3 takeaways from 2020 Iron Bowl

3 Takeaways for Alabama football in the Iron Bowl

2. DeVonta Smith is a top-3 Saban receiver

DeVonta Smith has done things that we haven’t seen at Alabama since Amari Cooper. He broke Coop’s touchdown record, and he added a few to his resume against the Auburn Tigers. Since losing Jaylen Waddle, Smitty has been electric. He’s a star by every metric, and he should be remembered as an Alabama football legend.

Smith was a part of the historic 2017 recruiting class. When he signed, many people were talking about Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. Even after catching two game-winning touchdowns as a freshman, he was still an afterthought. Many thought that he was the fourth-best receiver on last year’s team.

However, DeVonta Smith needs to be considered one of the best wide receivers that Nick Saban has ever coached. He has the talent, but he has also been a key contributor for four years. Coming back for his senior year proved to be beneficial for both his college legacy and his NFL Draft stock.

When you think of Alabama receivers of the Nick Saban era, Julio Jones is the first to come to mind. You then think of Amari Cooper. Before you can talk about Jeudy, Ruggs, Waddle or even Calvin Ridley, you have to mention DeVonta Smith. He is a legend. There is no other way to describe him. He will make an NFL team very happy one day.