Calvin Johnson. Demaryius Thomas. Stephen Hill. What do all these names have in common? All three are physically gifted wide receivers who attended Georgia Tech. Although Hill didn’t pan out, Johnson and Thomas have obviously had extremely successful careers. Current Yellow Jacket wide receiver DeAndre Smelter could be the next physically dominant receiver to come out of Georgia Tech, yet the entire football community seems to have overlooked him. This may partially be due to Georgia Tech’s triple option offense, in which very few passes are attempted. However, DeAndre Smelter’s physical gifts could turn him into a dominant receiver at the next level.
Production
This is actually only Smelter’s second season at Georgia Tech, although he is a senior. Smelter opted to come to Georgia Tech on a baseball scholarship instead of going pro. Smelter had actually been drafted in the 10th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins. This fact alone displays what a talented athlete Smelter is. After becoming the Yellow Jackets top reliever in his freshman season, Smelter sat out his sophomore season due to a nagging shoulder injury. The injury continued to bother him, and in 2013 he decided to try out for the football team. Smelter made the team, and actually became the Yellow Jackets third leading receiver, amassing 21 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
Although these numbers don’t sound like much, keep in mind that Georgia Tech attempted 203 passes last year, compared to 713 rushing attempts. Smelter actually accounted for 23% of his team’s receiving yards, and 40% of the team’s receiving touchdowns. Even more impressive is that nearly 66% of Smelter’s 2013 red zone targets were converted into touchdowns. Smelter has broken out in a big way in the 2014 season. Through 11 games in the 2014 season, Smelter has compiled 32 receptions for 671 yards (21 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns. This is nearly 44% of both the Yellow Jackets passing yards and touchdowns. To compare, fellow 6’3” Yellow Jacket Demaryius Thomas accounted for 53% of his teams passing yards and 75% of his teams passing touchdowns (Georgia Tech only had 4 passing touchdowns that year). Over the past two seasons, Smelter has “dominated” (over 35% of a team’s receiving yardage in a game) nine of the 17 games in which Tech completed five or more passes.
Other receivers who have “dominated” nine games in their college career are Roddy White, Andre Johnson, and Brandon Marshall. Former Yellow Jackets Demaryius Thomas, Calvin Johnson, and Stephen Hill dominated 21,20, and 10 games respectively. All three of these receivers played three season compared to Smelter’s two, and also dominated games where Tech completed less than five passes. Although Smelter’s age of 22.9 years old may deter some people, keep in mind that he took two years away from football to focus on baseball. DeAndre Smelter has been as productive as the superstars that came before him, and is one of the most productive receivers in the nation this season.
Metrics/Measurables
DeAndre Smelter is listed at 6’3”, 225 pounds. He has the ideal body type of a dominant wide receiver. The senior currently runs his 40 yard dash in 4.58 seconds. Receivers with similar body types and 40 times include Keenan Allen, Jordy Nelson, Eric Decker, and Brandon Lafell. Smelter has a height adjusted speed score, ((((Weight*200)*((Height/73.5)^2))-Height)/(40 time^4)), a metric that attempts to measure how well a receivers 40 time is based on his height and weight, of 106. To compare, Allen received a 96, Nelson a 109, Decker a 106, Robinson a 104, and Lafell a 98. Next, Smelter received a Freak Score, (a metric that attempts to portray a receiver’s combination of size and speed calculated using the following: (239.74+(Height*2.14)+(Weight*0.63)-(40 time*104.52)), of 63. His best comparables, Nelson and Decker, received scores of 65 and 62 respectively. Decker and Nelson have both been excellent red zone options for their teams. For this reason, Nelson and Decker would be the players who Smelter best resembles. Smelter is physically gifted enough to be just as good as these receivers.
Film Review
While many people may believe that Smelter is a slow receiver who can’t run routes due to the limitations of his offense, that is simply not the case. Smelter is actually quite fast, and is dangerous in the open field:
In this one play he displays his ability to release on his route, ability to track the ball, and open field skills all without slowing down. Although he may have ran a slow 40 time, expect Smelter to run faster at the combine, as he shows his true speed in this play. Smelter is also an impressive route runner, as shown by this curl route:
In this play Smelter exhibits his solid release (again), the ability to run timing routes to perfection, amazing footwork, and fluid movement skills. Smelter was also able to create a good amount of separation on the defenders in both videos.
Final Thoughts
DeAndre Smelter has all the tools to become a number one NFL receiver. At the very least, he could be a red zone threat for a team that needs one. His best comparables, Jordy Nelson and Eric Decker, have both had top 10 fantasy seasons. Don’t be surprised if Smelter becomes an immediate contributor to the team he is drafted by. He is currently being severely under looked, and exhibits every trait that a first round wide receiver should have. Currently, I would be willing to draft Smelter as early as the mid first round in rookie drafts. With a solid combine performance, expect Smelter to rise up both NFL and dynasty owner’s draft boards.
