DeVonta Smith reveals the root of his 'Slim Reaper' mentality

DeVonta Smith has a mentality that separates him from the rest of the pass catchers at his level, and that’s one of the “Slim Reaper.”

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, the former Alabama star explained how that developed, and how it’s helped him in his football career.

“So like, my house right here. There’s a fence, and a basketball court,” reminisced Smith. “So I’m inside, I hear the ball dribbling. Concrete. Old heads out there. You go to the rim, you catching elbows on the concrete. So that’s just kind of where it came from. With them, being the youngest one out there. They was like, ‘You ain’t finna play,’ I was like, ‘Nah. I’m finna play. It’s my down. Ain’t nobody finna take my down. I’m going to play.'”

Alas, Smith isn’t going to back down from anyone, no matter their size and strength. Continuing, Smith elaborated more on his mentality, and how it was instilled in him from a young age.

“I think it’s just kind of the people I grew up around,” explained the former Heisman Trophy winner. “Being from Amite (Amite, Alabama). You know, a small town. This just how it kind of is in my town. Like everybody was like that. Everybody was hungry.

“You know you had a lot of people that had a lot of opportunities that I did, they just chose the wrong path. Things like that. So it was kind of instilled in me, in my community and things like that.”

It’s easy to see how DeVonta Smith has become such a highly-regarded receiver in the NFL. His best days remain ahead of him, and the future is brighter than ever for the former Crimson Tide star.

Darius Slay believes DeVonta Smith will be regarded as the ‘best receiver in the league’ soon

Continuing, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay is not holding back in his belief of receiver DeVonta Smith. Going up against him every day in practice, Slay has seen firsthand the strides Smith has made this offseason as he prepares to enter his third year in the NFL. 

In fact, the cornerback has been so impressed that he’s ready to declare it won’t be long before Smith is considered is considered the best receiver in the league. 

“He got all the tools,” Slay told NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. “I told him, ‘You know, it ain’t going to be too much longer we’re going to be saying Smitty the best receiver in the league,’ for sure. It ain’t gonna be too much longer.

“I’m not gonna put a crazy [expectation] on him, but he’s got that type of ability to be that kind of guy. He could continue to keep doing what he’s doing and growing as a player, which I know he would. Yeah, it ain’t gonna be too much longer than that. We’re gonna have the best two [with AJ Brown], for sure.”