Eagles draft wide receiver Ainias Smith in the 5th round originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
With your 5thPick of the Round Saturday, the Eagles selected Texas A&M wide receiver/running back/returner Ainias Smith, a 5-foot-10, 190-pounder who said he looks up to DeSean Jackson.
He is the first receiver drafted since 2021, when he took DeVonta Smith in the first round.
Smith spent five years at A&M and caught 180 passes for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns. After missing most of 2022 with a broken leg, he caught 53 passes for 795 yards with two TDs and averaged 15.0 per catch last year.
He also had 72 rushing attempts for 405 yards with a 5.6 rushing average and four touchdowns and averaged 10.2 yards on 82 punt returns with two TDs and 18.0 yards on 20 kick returns.
He is the only player in SEC history with 2,000 receiving yards, 250 rushing yards, 250 kick return yards and 250 punt return yards in his career.
“You can look at the Desean Jacksons and Deebo Samuels of the world, Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffery, people like that who can play multiple positions, are very versatile, very good with the ball in their hands,” he said at the combine. “And that’s how I see myself, for sure.”
Smith said he’s a big fan of the Eagles offense and DeVonta Smith in particular.
“I love the way Philly plays,” he said. “I know they signed Devonta Smith, who I don’t really know, but I was a big fan of his in college and stuff, and also the way they use the receivers, the running backs, it’s a really great scheme.”
The Eagles don’t have a clear-cut No. 3 wide receiver behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who both received big contract extensions this month.
After trying Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheus and Julio Jones last year, they signed veterans Parris Campbell and DeVante Parker as free agents, and Smith will have the opportunity to compete with them for the No. 3 key spot.
Smith is generally considered a slot, but he believes he can play inside or outside at the next level.
“I feel very confident,” he said. “I went there a few times last season, made a lot of plays. I feel like a lot of my production this year has come from abroad, so I feel very confident.
Despite spending five years in College Station, Smith is only 22 years old.
The Eagles’ recent history with wide receivers in the later rounds is not good. Although 1971 7thRound pick Harold Carmichael became a Hall of Famer, his most successful receivers in the fifth round or later since then were 1990 5thround pick Calvin Williams (3,925 yards in seven seasons), 5thRound pick Riley Cooper (2,711 yards in six years) and Watkins (1,249 yards in four years). Brandon Gibson, a 6thRound pick in 2009, never played for the Eagles but had nearly 3,000 yards in six years with the Rams and Dolphins.
Smith is the first player the Eagles have signed from A&M since sixth-round defensive tackle Ed Jasper in 1997. The best player they have ever signed from A&M is linebacker William Thomas, a two-time Pro Bowler.
Smith’s brother Maurice, who played at Alabama and Georgia, was a defensive back who spent three years in the NFL with the Dolphins and Washington from 2017-19.
The No. 152 pick originated with the Seahawks, who traded it to the Commanders as part of the deal that sent Washington quarterback Sam Howell to Seattle in March. The Eagles acquired it from the Commanders on Friday along with the 40th overall pick, which they used to select Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean.
So far, the Eagles have faced cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell (22It is overall) in the first round and Cooper DeJean (40th overall) in the second round, beats Jalyx Hunt (94th overall) in the third round, running back Will Shipley (127th overall) in the fourth round and Smith (152It is overall) and Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter (155th general) in the fifth round.
They currently have two picks remaining – No. 171 and No. 172 in the fifth round.
Previous selections:
#22 overall – CB Quinyon Mitchell
#40 overall – CB Cooper DeJean
#94 Overall – Edge Jalyx Hunt
#127 overall – RB Will Shipley
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