Vikings Draft 2015: Is Devin Smith Worth a Look at #11?

The Vikings will do everything in their power to make it work with Cordarrelle Patterson, even if that means bringing in a special mystery mentor to school him in the nuances of the receiver position.

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But what if it doesn’t work out with Patterson? What if Patterson simply doesn’t have what it takes to become the true #1 receiver the Vikings need if they’re going to take the next step?

The Vikings need a contingency plan. Duron Carter could be part of that plan. Another part of the plan could be drafting a wide receiver in the first round.

Speculation about receivers has thus far centered around two names: Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker. After last night’s national championship game, how about we throw a third name into the mix, Devin Smith.

There’s no doubt Smith’s draft stock has risen since the start of the season, when he was not really being mentioned among the top receivers, but has it gone up enough to make him a viable top 15 pick?

There’s little question that Smith is a tremendous deep threat as a receiver. In fact, if you’re just talking about pure deep game, Smith may be the #1 guy.

But in the NFL, being a true #1 means more than just running deep routes. You must have the ability to operate in the short and intermediate areas as well. You must be able to go over the middle.

The obvious knock on Devin Smith is that Ohio State never used him as anything but a deep threat. His talent as a downfield receiver has been proven but no one knows if he’s able to consistently get it done in those other areas.

The doubts about Smith’s all-around game will no doubt cause a lot of teams to shy away. The Vikings themselves have a sketchy history when it comes to taking speedy-but-untested downfield receivers high in the draft. Troy Williamson anyone?

I’m not saying Smith is doomed to be another Troy Williamson, but I will say that using a #11 overall pick on him would be very risky. Smith in the second round? That I might do.

A really talented field-stretching receiver like Smith would look good in Norv Turner’s offense, but there are just too many question marks about Smith to make him a candidate at #11. If you must take a receiver and either Cooper or Parker is there at 11, I would have no hesitation.

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