Jumbo075
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Back on April 7th, before the NFL draft, I wrote a post about Devin Smith being my 2019 pet cat. The Comparison I made then was to the Cowboys signing Marc Colombo in late November, 2005. Columbo was a former 29th overall pick by the Bears, who blew out his knee twice in his first three seasons, and was discarded after being a huge disappointment in Chicago. Devin Smith's experience after being the 37th overall pick is very similar to that of Marc Columbo, with two blown out knee injuries himself in his first 3 seasons in the NFL.
Colombo, a 2002 low 1st round pick came to the Cowboys at the tale end of his 4th year in the NFL, and didn't play a down for the Cowboys offense in 2005. In fact, he didn't play at all in his "4th" season. Colombo went on to start 72 out of 80 games for the Cowboys from 2006-2010.
Devin Smith was out of the NFL in 2018, what would have been his 4th season in the NFL. Like Colombo, he didn't play a down - which allowed his knee sufficient time to heal. Now, in the 5th season since he was drafted high in the 2015 2nd round, he comes to Dallas. In the preseason, he showed his high draft pedigree with crisp routes, fighting for contested balls, and generally being a great target for Cooper Rush in games. And like Colombo, I expect good things from Smith.
Both Randall Cobb and Tavon Austin, the players manning the slot receiver position for Dallas, have been hampered in recent seasons by injuries: Cobb missed 7 games in 2018, while Austin missed 9 games. Smith is tailor made to become the slot receiver of the future for the Cowboys. Additionally, both Cobb and Austin are on short, 1-year contracts. It will not shock me at all if Smith becomes the starting slot receiver for the Cowboys in 2020, and if those other two guys go down to injuries, it could happen this year, with the Cowboys bringing back Cedrick Wilson from the Practice Squad.
Finding Colombo in 2006 was like finding money while walking down the sidewalk. He was a quality starter for the Cowboys for 5 seasons. I think that Devin Smith is going to be a repeat of history for the Cowboys, and I'm excited to see what the trio of Cooper, Gallup and Smith will do together over the next 5 years.
Colombo, a 2002 low 1st round pick came to the Cowboys at the tale end of his 4th year in the NFL, and didn't play a down for the Cowboys offense in 2005. In fact, he didn't play at all in his "4th" season. Colombo went on to start 72 out of 80 games for the Cowboys from 2006-2010.
Devin Smith was out of the NFL in 2018, what would have been his 4th season in the NFL. Like Colombo, he didn't play a down - which allowed his knee sufficient time to heal. Now, in the 5th season since he was drafted high in the 2015 2nd round, he comes to Dallas. In the preseason, he showed his high draft pedigree with crisp routes, fighting for contested balls, and generally being a great target for Cooper Rush in games. And like Colombo, I expect good things from Smith.
Both Randall Cobb and Tavon Austin, the players manning the slot receiver position for Dallas, have been hampered in recent seasons by injuries: Cobb missed 7 games in 2018, while Austin missed 9 games. Smith is tailor made to become the slot receiver of the future for the Cowboys. Additionally, both Cobb and Austin are on short, 1-year contracts. It will not shock me at all if Smith becomes the starting slot receiver for the Cowboys in 2020, and if those other two guys go down to injuries, it could happen this year, with the Cowboys bringing back Cedrick Wilson from the Practice Squad.
Finding Colombo in 2006 was like finding money while walking down the sidewalk. He was a quality starter for the Cowboys for 5 seasons. I think that Devin Smith is going to be a repeat of history for the Cowboys, and I'm excited to see what the trio of Cooper, Gallup and Smith will do together over the next 5 years.