3 expectations for Philadelphia Eagles rookie WR Devonta Smith ahead of his full-fledged NFL debut

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up in the NFL Draft this year to select Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver Devonta Smith out of Alabama. The Eagles were determined to get Smith before their division rival, the New York Giants. While that was clearly a motive, the move up was also to reunite Smith with his former Alabama teammate, Jalen Hurts.

Devonta Smith made his preseason NFL debut Thursday night against the New England Patriots, but starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was taken to the hospital shortly after the team's warm-up, leaving Joe Flacco to start under center.

As the regular season approaches, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to expect big things from the rookie wide receiver. Devonta Smith played throughout the first half of the second preseason game. He struggled at times, but did show considerable promise. Based on that showing, here are three things Eagles fans are going to expect from Smith in his rookie year.

What to expect from Philadelphia Eagles rookie Devonta Smith this season

#1 - Overcome bad play

Devonta Smith dropped a number of passes and seemed nervous at times in his first preseason outing. He also wasn't accurate on his route running, and missed a deep ball from quarterback Joe Flacco.

That said, it was his first preseason game in the NFL. What the Eagles coaching staff is looking for is how Smith bounces back. As long as he doesn't get in his head about a bad play or a dropped pass, the rookie should overcome these shortcomings.

.@DeVontaSmith_6's first catch in an Eagles uniform!#NEvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/DrnXBn7epo

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 20, 2021

#2 - Health

During training camp, Devonta Smith was dealing with a lingering knee injury that initially pushed back his NFL debut from Week 1 to Week 2 of preseason. Smith seems to have overcome the injury and was practicing well with the Eagles in the days prior.

In a contact sport like pro football, it's difficult to stay injury free for a whole year. That said, if injuries knock Smith's momentum, the rookie could be in for a tough couple of seasons.

#3 - Get his feet wet

The Eagles were just looking for Devonta Smith to get his feet wet in his first preseason outing, especially with Jalen Hurts out. The team was just looking for Smith to get used to the NFL and opposing defenses.

Heisman level route running. @DeVontaSmith_6📺: #NEvsPHI on @NFLNetwork (or check local listings)📱: https://t.co/PMCIWFqcJn pic.twitter.com/aiyBvfRGlJ

— NFL (@NFL) August 20, 2021

Smith had two receptions for a total of 19 yards, which isn’t an impressive amount of production for a young wide receiver, but it’s good enough for the Eagles to gauge his route running and timing, which will help his ability to be where his quarterback needs him, which he struggled with at points.