DeVonta Smith: Jalen Hurts Chemistry from Alabama 'Can Only Help So Much' on Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles rookie DeVonta Smith isn't going to lean solely on his Alabama connection to starting quarterback Jalen Hurts to count on making a strong first impression in the NFL.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Smith said his two years together with Hurts on the Crimson Tide "can only help so much."

"You have to continue that," he said. "So we have to continue building from that. I mean, just because we had that connection in college doesn’t mean that it’s the same now. We’ve both grown as players. We both have things that we’ve added to our game. So we have to build from that and get better."

That's especially true because Smith's best years in Tuscaloosa came after Hurts transferred to Oklahoma and then moved on to the NFL. Smith led the team in receiving as a junior in 2019 before a monster 2020 season won him the Heisman Trophy.

Hurts had also fallen behind Tua Tagovailoa in the depth chart in 2018, so he wasn't even the primary quarterback in the Crimson Tide offense that season.

Any sort of existing rapport between Smith and Hurts can only help, but it probably won't have a large impact on the success of the Eagles offense in 2021.