Ohio State WR Devin Smith Offers Immediate Impact for Teams in 2015 NFL Draft

Because of his specific skill set, Mike Wallace is regularly used as a pro comparison around draft time.

The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver was a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2009. As a prospect, he offered pure speed—the kind inherited from birth, not developed on the field or in the gym.

Early in his career, Wallace was able to be impactful for the Steelers behind Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. He averaged 19.4 yards per reception on 39 receptions his rookie season.

Wallace was a narrow skill set player. He primarily relied on his speed and adequate ball skills to be productive. While the defense focused on the Steelers' more established weapons, Wallace was able to contribute while developing his all-around game.

Having been so successful with such standout speed, Wallace is what many draft analysts and NFL teams envision their prospects becoming. As such, sometimes the comparison is forced.

Too often, players who are simply fast without the adequate ball skills or the same kind of overall explosion get compared to Wallace. it lessens the impact of the comparison when it is properly used. In this year's class, one player can be compared to Wallace with greater comfort than any other. That player is Devin Smith.

While playing for Ohio State last season, Smith caught just 33 passes. However, those 33 passes went for an incredible 931 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Averaging 28.2 yards per reception is the kind of accomplishment that typically only exists in video games. But that is what Smith did. The only surprising aspect of his 4.42-second 40 time at the combine is that it wasn't significantly faster.

Like Wallace, Smith's speed can't simply be represented by a number that gauges how fast he ran in a straight line. While some players run exceptionally fast 40 times but struggle to replicate that speed on the field, Smith and Wallace both show off better playing speed than combine speed.

That is because both players are easy striders with the balance and multilevel acceleration to sustain their speed through every movement they make.

When you have one elite trait as a receiver in the NFL, you often only need to be competent with the rest of your skill set to carry value. Smith isn't a star in terms of his all-around skill set, but it would also be unfair to say he is just a competent all-around receiver.

Early on in his career, Wallace had much better ball skills than he has shown in recent times. He was never great at the catch point, but he could consistently track the ball through the air to make comfortable catches on deep throws.

This is something Smith also does with great consistency.

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On this play, the defensive back in press coverage against Smith isn't aggressive enough with him at the line of scrimmage. This allows the young receiver to accelerate down the seam after his initial hesitation. This clean lane is enough to create separation downfield.

Smith's acceleration allows him to smoothly glide past the safety coming across the field before pulling the ball in.

Though he made this look easy, Smith's ability to track the ball over his shoulder and pull it in at this speed while facing the safety coming across the field was impressive. Smith was never distracted by the bodies around him and kept his full focus on the ball's trajectory.

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On this play, Smith is lined up in the slot against off coverage. The defense is blitzing, so Smith is left alone in space as he advances down the seam. He sets up his deep route with one very impressive step that allows his quarterback to lead him towards the end zone.

Because of his route, the defensive back can't locate the football before Smith.

Smith uses his positioning advantage to track the ball into his chest. However, he was forced to wait on the football and the defender had made good effort to close on him quickly. This put pressure on Smith to maintain control of the football while being hit.

His strength at the catch point on this occasion was impressive.

Smith didn't have the opportunity to manipulate the most immediate defender on either of these plays. Manipulating defenders to create space at the catch point is something that not many receivers in the NFL do consistently. Some never do it.

At the very least, Smith has shown off the ability to do it.

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The initial part of Smith's route on this play is just as important as what he does at the catch point. By staying disciplined in his route, Smith leaves space to the outside. He isn't naturally drawn toward the sideline like many receivers with great speed are.

Staying disciplined in the route not only gives the quarterback somewhere to throw the ball, it also gives the receiver leverage against the defensive back.

From the very beginning of the play, the Michigan State cornerback is looking back to the quarterback so he can locate the football. Smith doesn't turn his head until he is 15 yards into his route. This appears to be the point when the ball is thrown.

Smith continues to track the football in the air, but instead of drifting toward where it is going to land, he stays tight to the defensive back. At the last possible moment, Smith uses his inside elbow to keep the defensive back inside while he breaks to the outside.

To negate the defender's coverage, Smith attempted a reception from an awkward body angle. His ball skills are such that he is capable of making this play, though.

Adjusting to the ball in the air is something Smith excels at. He understands how to manipulate defenders subtly by making small, controlled movements, but he also knows when and how to be aggressive attacking the ball in the air.

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Traits such as these separate Smith from being just an athlete. He is a fast receiver, and that speed is what elevates him to be such a highly regarded prospect, but he's not reliant on it to be successful. He understands how to get the most out of his speed and how to win without it.

While Smith's ball skills are very impressive, his hands do come with some question marks.

In terms of results, Smith's catch ratio appeared to be impressive in 2014, though the small sample size may have had an impact on that. What is concerning with Smith is how often he double caught the ball or relied on a body catch when he could have used his hands better.

These are largely minor concerns, but concerns nonetheless.

Most of Smith's value early on during his career in the NFL will come on deep plays, but he shouldn't only be limited to those types of plays. His physical traits suggest he can develop into a more well-rounded route-runner, even though he wasn't used with great variety at Ohio State.

It's clear that Smith's ball skills can translate to different areas of the field, and he hasn't shown any fear of physical play from defenders.

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Opportunities weren't plentiful, but Smith showed off his ability to make a contact reception over the middle of the field on this play. It wasn't exactly a contested catch situation, but Smith was hit almost immediately as the ball arrived.

This is the kind of play that physically weaker receivers struggle to make at any level. Smith, while showing off that kind of airless running style, doesn't show off a weak frame.

At the combine, Smith was officially measured at 6'0" and 196 pounds. Those measurements are almost exactly the same as Wallace's when he was coming out. Wallace primarily worked deep down the field, but he didn't (and still doesn't) offer the same level of footwork and ball skills that Smith promises.

Smith can use his extra traits to be more effective, but they should also cause him to go higher in the draft than Wallace did.

In a draft that lacks high-quality top 20 selections, a player with a clear skill set such as Smith's will be appealing to teams. A clear blueprint is available, which will help teams get the most out of him because of the success other speed receivers have had in the NFL.

Justifying a selection for those reasons isn't a smart idea, but that alone isn't the reason to take Smith. His skill set may not be well-rounded, but his consistency and overall ability in his narrow skill set are exceptionally impressive.

Amari Cooper and Kevin White must be considered the favorites to be the best receivers from this class, but a few years from now, it wouldn't be a surprise if Smith developed into that player.