October 5, 2021 • 33 mins
In this third season of DRAFTED, six elite college football players will take us on their personal journeys through the 2021 NFL Draft. We'll hear from DeVonta Smith, Alex Leatherwood, Kellen Mond, Camryn Bynum, Dez Fitzpatrick, and Hamilcar Rashed Jr., along with their families, coaches, and agents. This first episode features Alabama Receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, as one of only thirteen prospects attending the 2021 NFL Draft in-person in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Drafted is a production of tree Fort Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. Hello, how you doing. Let's get it,
Let's get it. Oh my gosh, I work for it
is man. Welcome to Season three of Drafted. I'm Steven
(00:24):
Johnson and we're back with the two thousand one NFL Draft. Yeah.
This season, we're following six elite college football players as
they make the leap from campus to their new NFL
(00:45):
teams and cities. In these ten episodes, we'll hear firsthand
personal experiences from behind the scenes at one of history's
most unique NFL drafts, in person in Cleveland and at
home and in living room and even in cabins all
across the country. Airbnb to cabin up in Big Bear
(01:06):
right off the lake, and he's like, Hey, I'm about
to be there. What daughter I come in? Well, there's
ten tho people in front of the door. So I
have no idea. This is a once in a lifetime
Like literally, this is never ever gonna happen again. You know,
I only have one shot. We'll hear from the players,
(01:26):
their friends, family, coaches, teammates, and agents at Clutched Sports Group,
including Clutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul. My kids
asked me, I'll be flying commercial private now. I'm like,
where are y'all getting this stuff from? At least take
in Delton. From the college football season to the scouting
(01:47):
process to the draft itself, this year was anything but
business as usual. Obviously made air Wina, you gotta understand
this has been a weird year. I mean, you're doing
interviews over zoom. Most people only have like first round
grades on like sixteen prospects in the first round. So
(02:11):
it's just so much uncertainty with prospects. Even with tens
of thousands of fans in Cleveland for the draft, only
thirteen players attended in person this year, one of whom
is Davante Smith, wide receiver from the University of Alabama.
I'm a black hat on black going low. I go
with the blue games to the black bag that one
(02:33):
not beside this year large set see the media. DeVante
had one of the indisputably greatest seasons in college football history.
He won the Heisman Trophy, the National Championship, the m
v P of the title Game, and was named the
Associated Press Player of the Year, along with almost every
(02:55):
other award available to players at his position. Now the
most decorated wide receiver in thirty years, waits to find
out his future. He shops for pants and some T
shirts at the mall in Cleveland. I can try. I
got a pack of white t might be mediums. Might
(03:18):
be mediums because I only when my white teeth fresh
out the pat one time or nef I'm winning, it's
gonna be under another shirt. Come on, man, I think
I might go to large. Gaudy stats and a trophy
case full of awards still don't fully explain how dominant
Davante was this season. He was named the most valuable
(03:40):
player of the championship game against Ohio State, setting records
for catches and touchdowns despite only playing about half of
the game. He spans Chris Fowler summed it up during
the championship. Touchdown facement cannot restop he truly special performance
by the higspand trophy wedner three touchdowns in the first half,
(04:07):
and despite Davante's all inspiring performance throughout the entire year,
NFL scouts and draft analysts only want to talk about
the one question he's asking himself right now, Can he
really fit into a medium? They meet him on a
large the tea a medium, Davante is listed at six
(04:28):
ft even and one hundred and seventy pounds, and for
a variety of reasons, those are the only numbers NFL
teams seem to care about when discussing his draft prospects,
not the one hundred and seventeen catches last year for
over eight hundred yards and twenty three touchdowns, or the
nearly four thousand yards receiving and forty six touchdowns he
(04:51):
piled up over his college career. Teams openly question how
good he'll be as a pro because they don't think
he's big enough. In other words, they think you can't
be a great receiver in the NFL unless you wear
a large or an extra large. So as Davante gets
back to his hotel, he constantly has to watch and
listen to news stories like these on his phone, and
(05:15):
the conversation about him is his weight being a book
sixty six and whether not automatically discounts him from being drafted.
There's a difference between size and deal, and DeVante isn't
surprised by the doubters, even though he personally caught more
touchdowns over the season than the entire Ohio state team,
(05:38):
which finished second behind Alabama this past year. Being questioned
about his size is nothing new for a guy nicknamed
the Slim Reaper. Here's his mom, Christina Smiths Silvh, elaborating
he was always a little small, stroony, low key, but
as he went on eighth grade football started to be
(05:59):
more of a challenge for him. All of the guys
are like bigger than him, so they I'm not gonna
say they intimidated him, but it was a challenge. It
was a challenge. He wasn't just smaller than the other guys.
He was tiny in high school. Here's Vincent Sanders, his
long time mentor Barbara and close family friend. He's like
(06:20):
a so my freshman year hunt twenty some pounds, you
get hit, hit that man painful, you know what I'm saying.
So you're like, I'm small, you know, and so many
people like, oh man, you're small, show your So we're
(06:41):
seeing in his head too, same way, you know, people
talking about it. He's a kid, you know. You know
your job as a kid is to respect adult. So
you listen to what they're saying. But if a group
of don't say you're you're gonna start believing his mind,
Christina again, everybody talking about, you know, his way, everyone
(07:06):
doubting him. He tried not to let that get to
him mentally, but as a mother, you know, I I
know that guy to him, but I think that pushed him,
just trying to live up to that standard, just live
up to you know. I may be small, but I
have the heart of a lion. He wasn't just the
(07:30):
smallest guy in the football team either. He was the
smallest guy and almost every sport he played in, almost
every setting he played in. He was the smallest guy
in the neighborhood. And he always wanted to play with
the older guys, and if they didn't pick him, he
would get mad and take his basketball of football, and
(07:50):
then that would cause a little scuffle. But yeah, he
would get into a few scuffles every now and then,
and that mouth sometimes would get him. I never backed
down for nobody. I don't care who you are, how
old you is. This is Davante. I've always been scrapping,
Like I stayed in fight when I was young. I
was in trouble maker. I mean I stayed in trouble
and things like that growing up. And they meet Louisiana,
(08:13):
a real town of about four thousand. He constantly played
pickup basketball games at the neighborhood park near his house,
often with older kids and his older cousins. Here's Vincent
Sanders again on those neighborhood games. Because he was just
at his age, so he was like the competition of
(08:34):
his age wasn't wasn't competition. So he come out through it.
The big boys. You know what I'm saying. So you
might have somebody out the thirty five years old that
played college ball. So know what they do. We're talking
grown his uncle's cousins. They ain't taking an he drive
(08:54):
away who and they like six three six four. Here
you are, five s coming through the lane. They're gonna
give you what you're looking for. They're getting that elba
that time, get up, you ain't you ain't hurt, just
just rules up to get up. Let's go. So he
(09:14):
you know him doing that, and they nobody took the
knees in on him. He tough, built four, toughest, tough
mentally and physically. So even doing his whole life, people
felt that like I was not so like they can
take advantage of me. That's why I stayed fighting because
I always like show like, nah, I ain't the one body,
so like you're gonna come over and messing with me,
(09:36):
Now we gotta fight. It was just like around here
was just like fight for your respect. If you just
let him keep doing it, they're gonna do it. But
once you, once you fight, they're gonna respect it. It
was one time, well because I had to do that part,
just like kept messing when me kept messing with me,
Like he told me straight. He was like, either you're
gonna fight him or you're gonna fight me. So I
(09:58):
fought other dude and just left it at that. Yeah,
he did get bullied a little bit. This is DeVante's mom,
Christina once again. But I think it helped him. You know,
he knew that he was the smallest kid, but he
was determined to play with the bigger kids. So I
think that kind of helps shape him and mold him
(10:19):
into the person that he is today. I may be
the smallest, but hey, I have the heart, I have
the drive. I'm gonna I'm gonna stick with it. I
want to play, So you know, I think it did
help him at you know, some aspects of his life.
We'll be right back. DeVante and a member of his
(10:54):
team at Clutch Sports, Carmel Mamalalu. Right back to the
hotel in Cleveland. They're on their way to a jersey
signing with another football legend. Like a ten or fifteen
minute window to do the Today Show. Yeah, I guess
film it today, it'll run tomorrow. Yeah, that's what I
(11:15):
just told Sean. So what's what's the Today Show? It's like,
what is it? Yeah, that's the Morning show Downtown. It's
like good morning shots on. Oh I know what you're
talking about that I think I know. Oh yeah, yeah yeah.
(11:35):
M For an introverted guy who might not know what
the Today Show is, DeVante's life is about to become
completely unrecognizable. I'm quiet, I don't like going out. I'm
to myself, like play sports, work out ground it. So
it was just like that's what I was around, and
(11:58):
that's all I could do. So that's wise just been.
It's just been what I do. Like his stature, his quiet,
humble confidence. It's easy to overlook in a sport full
of bigger players and larger than life personalities, especially in
the media climate built on shocking or controversial soundbites. Here's
his mom, Christina again, he's not the kid that wants
(12:20):
to go out to different parties or whatever. He didn't
do that in college. He didn't go to you know,
parties or nothing like that. You know. He was more
of practice, get something to eat, go back to the apartment.
He doesn't think that the recognition is necessary. Like I
tell him, it's nothing wrong with being recognized. They want
(12:41):
to recognize you for your performance what you have done.
But with him is more of He likes to stay
in the background. He really doesn't like all of the attention.
But I told him, when you do great things, you
get the attention. You know, it's nothing wrong with that.
DeVante and Garmet arrived back at the hotel and head
(13:04):
upstairs where they meet former Heisman Trophy winner in University
of Michigan great Desmond Howard. He was the last wide
receiver to win the award before Davante was going on,
good good, how about you appreciate Uh yeah, Roger, Yeah,
(13:34):
I had a law yeah. Davante was supposed to meet
Roger Goodell in person that morning, but its COVID test
came up positive. He had to re test twice and
by the time he got the two accurate negatives he'd
missed the meeting. This is part of the unique challenge
(13:56):
for the thirteen players in Cleveland and for the NFL,
and hosting his first ever hybrid in person and virtual draft.
He should probably I'm saying, you got him off, you
got him most to go for whatever you want to
(14:23):
put on there. They're talking about what message to right
in the jerseys. Though, for Davante, this meeting signifies something
much bigger than swapping memorabilia. Howard played eleven NFL seasons,
made a Pro Bowl, and was the m v P
of Super Bowl thirty one. He still holds the record
for the longest return Super Bowl history. And he did
(14:45):
all of this at five ft ten and one five pounds.
If you went just shorter and only around ten pounds
heavier than DeVante, like Marvin Harrison and Tonio Brown and
de Sean Jackson, Desmond Howard is proof small receivers can
still be stars in the NFL. Here's Davante on that comparison.
(15:09):
It's a blessing to be compared to him, just with
everything that he's done, and he's done everything right, So
I mean, I'm trying to get where he is right now.
So I'm for show. Digg into some of his film,
take some of the stuff out of his two box
that he has. Remember we did the zoom we when
I have my son. Yeah, I got the twin boys.
I just always trying to collect these for him, you
know what I I mean? Yeah, so this is perfect, my man.
(15:31):
Get out your hair, graduation. Appreciate best of luck. Man, appreciate,
Appreciate at the very least, to enjoy yourself. Celebration, celebration.
A lot of people, A lot of people in this position.
(15:53):
Like that's when Howard says, not many people are ever
in the position. Davante finds himself and now twenty four
hours from the NFL Draft, exchanging jerseys with other Heisman
Trophy winners, booking morning show appearances on the cusp of
his dreams coming true, and tens of millions of dollars
heading his way. How many people get here, regardless of
(16:15):
where they come from. Even fewer arrived at this moment
from towns as small and remote as they meet Louisiana.
Here's Davante, and now his small town upbringing shaped his worldview.
It at me that ain't nothing to do, so I
feel like it's molding me. I mean big though, you guys,
Walt Moret, you gotta win, Dick, see what I mean.
That's pretty much. You gotta come fast f places, signing
(16:38):
Madala stuff like that. But I mean, it ain't nothing
to do. And they meet outside of a lot of
sports and stuff like that. But I was by my
pops a lot too, So like when I'm home and
a meet, it's like sports. When I'm out there by
my pop, it's like we in the woods. I had
the best of both worlds, just being like exploring nature
and stuff like that, like we can squirrel and stuff
(17:00):
like that, like we shooting squirrels, just playing around in
the woods and stuff like that. DeVante's parents were no
longer together, and he spent most weekends staying with his dad.
One specific memory in the Louisiana Biou stands out back
when he was barely a teenager playing in the woods
with his cousins. I was probably like twelve thirteen, and
(17:22):
like it was raining by my pops is like a creek,
so like when it rained, like it was a lot,
So we was deep in the woods, like this is
the first time and last time we ever went by
the creek. Never been back there again. So it's pouring down.
Rating water is like knee high, and like when you
first get into it, you don't see how flooded it is.
(17:45):
So like you're walking for a good little minute and
then it's like all of a sudden, just get flooded
and we just see how hot the water is. And
then like we just started hearing stuff. My older cousin
he like, what's this. I'm I don't hear that. He
was like, man, that's that's that's sounding hog, I know
sound a hall Farrell hawks in Louisiana can weigh over
five hundred pounds and can grow four to five inch
(18:06):
long tuss along with sharp pointed teeth that looked like fangs.
This is what Davante and his cousins think that we're
hearing nearby and the flooded value. So we go to
looking and then like we see it, so like everybody
don't move, everybody to sit there. So like were just
sitting at the hall with the sit you. He was like,
we can't see him for help. We're gonna make the
(18:27):
only thing in my mind was you out run one person.
You know you you're gonna be good. The last person
that's up to you what happened with you and the all.
So it was just like on the count of three,
everybody take you all running. Nobody knews it because like
it's flooded, not so like it's no tracks to show
you what what are you're going back to? So it
(18:48):
was just like just right, everybody follows. Somebody just hoped
it we end up getting somewhere, so we take off running.
I wasn't looking back, but I know Shan wouldn't laughing.
Not when when you pick go running for your life
from a giant wild hog and a swamp may not
directly translate into developing NFL ready speed, but it sure
(19:09):
doesn't hurt. It's another example of the smallest guy always
making sure he never got caught. Because DeVante spent his
entire youth fighting or fleeing bullies on the playground, the
would be tacklers on the gridiron and wild animals in
the woods, there's a reason his coach, Nick Saban said
(19:29):
he competes as well pound for pound as anybody that
I've ever had the chance to coach. Tell many how
many receivers are tougher than he is, that block better,
that play more physical than he does. That's high praise
coming from the most successful coach in college football history.
The question is, will NFL teams be able to look
past the size of his jersey and focus on what's
(19:51):
underneath it instead? We'll be right act. Becoming the DeVante Smith,
who has talked about as a top pick in the
(20:12):
NFL Draft, didn't happen by chance, Not when you're the
smallest kid who everyone doubts. He had to turn that
one and twenty pound high school freshman into the most
dominant player in college football. Here's Clutched Sports founder and
CEO Rich Paul describing what he saw when meeting DeVante
in Los Angeles for the first time. When I met
(20:36):
DeVante for the first time, I knew it. I asked me,
I said, you know, what do you want to do
if I just want to go? You know, he was
in l A. No anything we can help you with,
get you you want to see something? Now, I'm good.
You know, we take the meeting, but maybe did somebody
eat didn't do a t other shop and didn't want
(20:56):
to go look at the cars and direct that, And
it's just like not that it is anything wrong with
any of that. He just didn't have no interest. I
was like, oh, he's serious about football. He's serious about football,
which I love, which is why he was so good.
Here's his mom, Christina again describing when her son's determination
grew even if the rest of his frame didn't keep up.
(21:18):
I knew the talent was there early on, but his
sophomore year in in high school is when I knew
that Davante had what it took. He had the work ethic,
he had the drive and determination. He's always wanted to
play in the NFL. That's always been a dream of his.
(21:39):
But I really saw it his sophomore year in high school.
We live right next to a park, so he would
get up and he will go to the park and
and run. He had the cones, he had the cape
to put on to help him with his speed. It
was like he had whatever he needed to try to
(21:59):
get himself better. He did it. He did drills in
the park before school, practiced and lifted weights after school,
and even developed a routine during the day. I had
a time on my phone for like every hour, do
thirty push up. So like I'll be in class and
like the time I'll go off, like I just do
(22:20):
something again, just be like teachers would be like, you
can't be you can't be having your phone or on off.
But this high got away with it. It It was like
every class is only four to five minutes at the most,
so it's only gonna ring once in every class, Like
you can't report me for doing push ups. So it
was just like it's nothing you can do besides tell me, like,
you get up and stop doing this. By by time
(22:40):
you do that, I've been at them a thirty hour.
So every time ring, I just like my fault. I
didn't know, and I just do the push up and
be like I ain't gonna worry about this class. When
it first started, they was like, what are you doing?
What are you doing? Push us fun? And I'll just
be like, oh, I just had to do them real quick.
And then like he got to a point like everybody
if they knew, like that was a consistent thing, so
it was just like just let him do it, so
(23:01):
let him going and get knocked. The way he was
so consistent with his mid class push ups, teachers and
students all grew accustomed to his alarm going off, him
dropping and doing thirty and then going right back to
the Pythagorean theorem and the Lord of the Flies. And
while he honed his body throughout high school, he also
had to develop his killer instinct. He even if that
(23:23):
meant learning to be more selfish. In the final moments
of his high school teams playoff basketball game, his seconds off,
We're down one and everybody wants me to take the shot,
but like trapped me. I had a screen, said someone
of the screen came like they trapped me, like someone's
wide open. So like I passed it and he didn't
(23:44):
shoot it. He passed again like my best friend had
shot the ball. He missed, and then he came to
me and he was like, man, I don't care if
it was five people. You know you're supposed to take
that last shot. And then I was like that stuck
with me, and I was just like all right, like
forget trying to give it to the old like carst time.
I don't care I many people on me. I want
to be in that moment like and that stuff with me.
(24:05):
Since then they're like five people on the they double me,
and he still say, like, you know, that's your shot,
because like that's what everybody expect for me. If we
had a hold of right now. Everybody see if I'm
taking the last shot, everybody gonna say you just because
like that's what you do. So it was just like
that moment, always steak with mean. I never let nothing
else happened like that again, game on line. I'm telling
(24:25):
you right now, give me the ball. I ain't trying
to heat with nobody else, gotta say throw me the ball.
The very next year, this lesson came into play with
a different ball, on a different field and not a
much much bigger stage. It's the college football season and
Davante is a freshman receiver at Alabama, playing behind multiple
future first round draft picks at wide receiver. The team
(24:48):
makes it to the National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs,
and Georgia takes it to the Crimson Tide in the
first half. Alabama is down thirteen to zero as they
go into the locker room for halftime. Yeah, so freshman,
if we're in the game and stuff just wasn't going
our way. So we get the halftime, everybody in locker
(25:08):
room like, man, y'all need to get this ship together,
and like you can feel the energy of like one
person say the role thing somebody go, somebody will get punched.
The older guys they didn't play there. It was just
like if you weren't listening, like y'all, y'all start fighting,
because that's just how they would, like you're gonna listen
or somebody gonna beat you up. It's like everybody's just
sitting there just listening to them talk, and it was
(25:29):
just we we've been here before, like this, ain't that
knew this is what we do. Alabama have played in
two previous championship games before this one, so as Davante said,
this is what they do. And this time around, the
team makes one huge change at halftime. Coach Nick saman
decides to sit his starting quarterback and bringing the rookie
quarterback by the name of Tua Tonga Vloa. So it
(25:54):
was just like change, like second half like switch, and
like everything just started going out wayybody just started battling back.
Alabama ties the game and sends it into overtime. In
college overtime, both teams get the ball at least once,
so they each have a chance to score. We went
(26:14):
to overtime like you could tell the like we was
ready because you go out there for like the corn toss.
Oh them kill their helmets on and people Georgia didn't
have it on. So like when they came back, they
was like, man, they ain't ready. The ain't even got
their helmets on, like they don't want them more. Something
as small as the Georgia players not putting their helmets
back on for the coin toss was all Devonte and
(26:37):
his teammates needed to see, Like sharks moving in for
the kill. They could smell the blood that killer instinct
was kicking in. Overtime begins and Georgia receives the ball. First,
they kick a field goal, putting them up three points.
Now Alabama gets the ball. If they don't score, they lose.
If they kick a field goal, it goes into double overtime,
(27:00):
and if they score a touchdown, they win the national championship.
After the Alabama quarterback takes their brutal sack on their
first play, it's suddenly second and twenty six from the
forty one yard line. Alabama needs to do something drastic.
Always been ready for moments like that, Like that's moments
that like I want to be in that position. So
(27:22):
it was just like we go back to the huddle.
We kind of get the clay and I'm like, give
me a chance. And I ain't think he was gonna
throw it too, but I thought he's gonna look at
me and just be like, all right, whatever, man, But
I mean he threw it. Fires the touchdown battle ways
the true freshman come to Viola to Fonte Smith, Alabama,
(27:48):
right George, your heart. Davante catches the walk off game
winning touchdown in the National Championship as a true freshman.
Five other receivers on that Alabama team are playing in
the NFL right now. Three were first round draft picks,
but it's the one hundred and fifty nine pounds freshman
(28:11):
who catches the game winner completely untouched, straight out of
a Disney movie. Here's Vincent Sanders on that life changing
moment when he called the game won the National Championship
as the first one. When I went up to him,
was like, hey, you called you? He was like, damn no, man,
I missed a block on such and such player. I
(28:33):
was like, what you caught the past at one the
game and you said on that play, like, what the
hell is wrong? Be just kid. He was mad because
he messed up on a plate Prior to that, he
was upset with his self. I mean he was sitting
there with his head now, like come on, dud beast
(28:55):
like and I think I said something to him and
like man, stop warning a he was. I think it's
a problems. Maybe we could have scored on that point
and we had to go to old time or whatever.
His mom Christina went together. So yeah, when we did
get to see him, I was like, oh, baby, you
(29:15):
you caught the game. We didn't touchdown and it was
like yeah, And he just said that he didn't do
something on one of the plays and I was like, Devonte,
do you realize you just caught the Yeah, Mama, I know.
It was just like no big deal to him. It
was just another catch. So I mean that's him. He
(29:36):
always wants to try to get it right. I tell
people this all the time. Every fifteen years you get this,
Michael Jordan fifteen years, Kobe fifteen years, but Bra for
two years. You started with Lyon swanifteen years, you're right,
you go random Moss in the fifteen years Smith, you
(30:00):
do them every once in a while. We give that's
the difference from an NFL player and a Hall of
Fame because you got people in the NFL to go
to Pro Bowl. Do great, take lots of money, but
they don't go at all the fame. DeVante Smith won't
get go jackets in one more day. All the college
accolades will mean nothing, and the next chapter of DeVante
(30:23):
Smith's football story will begin. He isn't worried about the
teams thinking he's too small or doubting his ability to
play at the next level. He's not interested in making
TV appearances. We're driving fancy cars or eating five star dinners.
The only thing he cares about is getting a chance
to play against the bigger, older kids at the neighborhood
park to show everyone it doesn't matter how much you
(30:46):
weigh or what size jersey you wear. In DeVante's mind,
the drills at the park before school, the push ups
during class, the missed block in the game he already won.
That's the important stuff. Everything outside of football, it's just
a distraction. That's just how I am. The stuff there
sites other people don't assite me. I'm just like I'm different.
(31:08):
That's just how I am. Coming up this season, I'm drafted,
nineteen years of throwing the football, almost twenty, and he's
coming down to a two thousand one draft. I hope
I don't go out here and get my ass whooped
on national TV. And they're like, they ain't gonna call you,
(31:30):
And I was like, yeah, they called me like teen
minutes ago. If you love football this much and you
love money that much, then you got a chance to
play a lot of football and make a lot of money.
He's like, you're just pound for COVID, You're just positive
and I was like what. He's like, yeah, you need
to go home right now, like right now. Yeah, I
(31:58):
was trying out to cry. I didn't pay but out
a cry around me. My. Yeah, we picked homeboy, but
we still want you to take that. Come on, Calm
on phone, somebody, somebody, calm my phone. Drafted is a
(32:20):
production of tree Ford Media, Clutch Sports Group, and I
Heart Radio. The executive producers are Kelly Garner, Lisa Ammerman,
Eric Slott, Eric Weiner, and Shawn to Tone. The series
is produced and written by Eric Winer. Garme Mamalu is
our coordinating producer. Coral Silverberg is our associate producer. Tom
Monahan is our senior audio engineer. The show is mixed,
(32:43):
edited and hosted by me Stephen Johnson, additional production help
from Tim Shower and Hayley Mandelberg. For transcripts of the
show and more information undrafted, go to tree Fort dot fm,
and for more podcasts from my Heart, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows. Three
Drafted is a production of tree Fort Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. Hello, how you doing. Let's get it,
Let's get it. Oh my gosh, I work for it
is man. Welcome to Season three of Drafted. I'm Steven
(00:24):
Johnson and we're back with the two thousand one NFL Draft. Yeah.
This season, we're following six elite college football players as
they make the leap from campus to their new NFL
(00:45):
teams and cities. In these ten episodes, we'll hear firsthand
personal experiences from behind the scenes at one of history's
most unique NFL drafts, in person in Cleveland and at
home and in living room and even in cabins all
across the country. Airbnb to cabin up in Big Bear
(01:06):
right off the lake, and he's like, Hey, I'm about
to be there. What daughter I come in? Well, there's
ten tho people in front of the door. So I
have no idea. This is a once in a lifetime
Like literally, this is never ever gonna happen again. You know,
I only have one shot. We'll hear from the players,
(01:26):
their friends, family, coaches, teammates, and agents at Clutched Sports Group,
including Clutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul. My kids
asked me, I'll be flying commercial private now. I'm like,
where are y'all getting this stuff from? At least take
in Delton. From the college football season to the scouting
(01:47):
process to the draft itself, this year was anything but
business as usual. Obviously made air Wina, you gotta understand
this has been a weird year. I mean, you're doing
interviews over zoom. Most people only have like first round
grades on like sixteen prospects in the first round. So
(02:11):
it's just so much uncertainty with prospects. Even with tens
of thousands of fans in Cleveland for the draft, only
thirteen players attended in person this year, one of whom
is Davante Smith, wide receiver from the University of Alabama.
I'm a black hat on black going low. I go
with the blue games to the black bag that one
(02:33):
not beside this year large set see the media. DeVante
had one of the indisputably greatest seasons in college football history.
He won the Heisman Trophy, the National Championship, the m
v P of the title Game, and was named the
Associated Press Player of the Year, along with almost every
(02:55):
other award available to players at his position. Now the
most decorated wide receiver in thirty years, waits to find
out his future. He shops for pants and some T
shirts at the mall in Cleveland. I can try. I
got a pack of white t might be mediums. Might
(03:18):
be mediums because I only when my white teeth fresh
out the pat one time or nef I'm winning, it's
gonna be under another shirt. Come on, man, I think
I might go to large. Gaudy stats and a trophy
case full of awards still don't fully explain how dominant
Davante was this season. He was named the most valuable
(03:40):
player of the championship game against Ohio State, setting records
for catches and touchdowns despite only playing about half of
the game. He spans Chris Fowler summed it up during
the championship. Touchdown facement cannot restop he truly special performance
by the higspand trophy wedner three touchdowns in the first half,
(04:07):
and despite Davante's all inspiring performance throughout the entire year,
NFL scouts and draft analysts only want to talk about
the one question he's asking himself right now, Can he
really fit into a medium? They meet him on a
large the tea a medium, Davante is listed at six
(04:28):
ft even and one hundred and seventy pounds, and for
a variety of reasons, those are the only numbers NFL
teams seem to care about when discussing his draft prospects,
not the one hundred and seventeen catches last year for
over eight hundred yards and twenty three touchdowns, or the
nearly four thousand yards receiving and forty six touchdowns he
(04:51):
piled up over his college career. Teams openly question how
good he'll be as a pro because they don't think
he's big enough. In other words, they think you can't
be a great receiver in the NFL unless you wear
a large or an extra large. So as Davante gets
back to his hotel, he constantly has to watch and
listen to news stories like these on his phone, and
(05:15):
the conversation about him is his weight being a book
sixty six and whether not automatically discounts him from being drafted.
There's a difference between size and deal, and DeVante isn't
surprised by the doubters, even though he personally caught more
touchdowns over the season than the entire Ohio state team,
(05:38):
which finished second behind Alabama this past year. Being questioned
about his size is nothing new for a guy nicknamed
the Slim Reaper. Here's his mom, Christina Smiths Silvh, elaborating
he was always a little small, stroony, low key, but
as he went on eighth grade football started to be
(05:59):
more of a challenge for him. All of the guys
are like bigger than him, so they I'm not gonna
say they intimidated him, but it was a challenge. It
was a challenge. He wasn't just smaller than the other guys.
He was tiny in high school. Here's Vincent Sanders, his
long time mentor Barbara and close family friend. He's like
(06:20):
a so my freshman year hunt twenty some pounds, you
get hit, hit that man painful, you know what I'm saying.
So you're like, I'm small, you know, and so many
people like, oh man, you're small, show your So we're
(06:41):
seeing in his head too, same way, you know, people
talking about it. He's a kid, you know. You know
your job as a kid is to respect adult. So
you listen to what they're saying. But if a group
of don't say you're you're gonna start believing his mind,
Christina again, everybody talking about, you know, his way, everyone
(07:06):
doubting him. He tried not to let that get to
him mentally, but as a mother, you know, I I
know that guy to him, but I think that pushed him,
just trying to live up to that standard, just live
up to you know. I may be small, but I
have the heart of a lion. He wasn't just the
(07:30):
smallest guy in the football team either. He was the
smallest guy and almost every sport he played in, almost
every setting he played in. He was the smallest guy
in the neighborhood. And he always wanted to play with
the older guys, and if they didn't pick him, he
would get mad and take his basketball of football, and
(07:50):
then that would cause a little scuffle. But yeah, he
would get into a few scuffles every now and then,
and that mouth sometimes would get him. I never backed
down for nobody. I don't care who you are, how
old you is. This is Davante. I've always been scrapping,
Like I stayed in fight when I was young. I
was in trouble maker. I mean I stayed in trouble
and things like that growing up. And they meet Louisiana,
(08:13):
a real town of about four thousand. He constantly played
pickup basketball games at the neighborhood park near his house,
often with older kids and his older cousins. Here's Vincent
Sanders again on those neighborhood games. Because he was just
at his age, so he was like the competition of
(08:34):
his age wasn't wasn't competition. So he come out through it.
The big boys. You know what I'm saying. So you
might have somebody out the thirty five years old that
played college ball. So know what they do. We're talking
grown his uncle's cousins. They ain't taking an he drive
(08:54):
away who and they like six three six four. Here
you are, five s coming through the lane. They're gonna
give you what you're looking for. They're getting that elba
that time, get up, you ain't you ain't hurt, just
just rules up to get up. Let's go. So he
(09:14):
you know him doing that, and they nobody took the
knees in on him. He tough, built four, toughest, tough
mentally and physically. So even doing his whole life, people
felt that like I was not so like they can
take advantage of me. That's why I stayed fighting because
I always like show like, nah, I ain't the one body,
so like you're gonna come over and messing with me,
(09:36):
Now we gotta fight. It was just like around here
was just like fight for your respect. If you just
let him keep doing it, they're gonna do it. But
once you, once you fight, they're gonna respect it. It
was one time, well because I had to do that part,
just like kept messing when me kept messing with me,
Like he told me straight. He was like, either you're
gonna fight him or you're gonna fight me. So I
(09:58):
fought other dude and just left it at that. Yeah,
he did get bullied a little bit. This is DeVante's mom,
Christina once again. But I think it helped him. You know,
he knew that he was the smallest kid, but he
was determined to play with the bigger kids. So I
think that kind of helps shape him and mold him
(10:19):
into the person that he is today. I may be
the smallest, but hey, I have the heart, I have
the drive. I'm gonna I'm gonna stick with it. I
want to play, So you know, I think it did
help him at you know, some aspects of his life.
We'll be right back. DeVante and a member of his
(10:54):
team at Clutch Sports, Carmel Mamalalu. Right back to the
hotel in Cleveland. They're on their way to a jersey
signing with another football legend. Like a ten or fifteen
minute window to do the Today Show. Yeah, I guess
film it today, it'll run tomorrow. Yeah, that's what I
(11:15):
just told Sean. So what's what's the Today Show? It's like,
what is it? Yeah, that's the Morning show Downtown. It's
like good morning shots on. Oh I know what you're
talking about that I think I know. Oh yeah, yeah yeah.
(11:35):
M For an introverted guy who might not know what
the Today Show is, DeVante's life is about to become
completely unrecognizable. I'm quiet, I don't like going out. I'm
to myself, like play sports, work out ground it. So
it was just like that's what I was around, and
(11:58):
that's all I could do. So that's wise just been.
It's just been what I do. Like his stature, his quiet,
humble confidence. It's easy to overlook in a sport full
of bigger players and larger than life personalities, especially in
the media climate built on shocking or controversial soundbites. Here's
his mom, Christina again, he's not the kid that wants
(12:20):
to go out to different parties or whatever. He didn't
do that in college. He didn't go to you know,
parties or nothing like that. You know. He was more
of practice, get something to eat, go back to the apartment.
He doesn't think that the recognition is necessary. Like I
tell him, it's nothing wrong with being recognized. They want
(12:41):
to recognize you for your performance what you have done.
But with him is more of He likes to stay
in the background. He really doesn't like all of the attention.
But I told him, when you do great things, you
get the attention. You know, it's nothing wrong with that.
DeVante and Garmet arrived back at the hotel and head
(13:04):
upstairs where they meet former Heisman Trophy winner in University
of Michigan great Desmond Howard. He was the last wide
receiver to win the award before Davante was going on,
good good, how about you appreciate Uh yeah, Roger, Yeah,
(13:34):
I had a law yeah. Davante was supposed to meet
Roger Goodell in person that morning, but its COVID test
came up positive. He had to re test twice and
by the time he got the two accurate negatives he'd
missed the meeting. This is part of the unique challenge
(13:56):
for the thirteen players in Cleveland and for the NFL,
and hosting his first ever hybrid in person and virtual draft.
He should probably I'm saying, you got him off, you
got him most to go for whatever you want to
(14:23):
put on there. They're talking about what message to right
in the jerseys. Though, for Davante, this meeting signifies something
much bigger than swapping memorabilia. Howard played eleven NFL seasons,
made a Pro Bowl, and was the m v P
of Super Bowl thirty one. He still holds the record
for the longest return Super Bowl history. And he did
(14:45):
all of this at five ft ten and one five pounds.
If you went just shorter and only around ten pounds
heavier than DeVante, like Marvin Harrison and Tonio Brown and
de Sean Jackson, Desmond Howard is proof small receivers can
still be stars in the NFL. Here's Davante on that comparison.
(15:09):
It's a blessing to be compared to him, just with
everything that he's done, and he's done everything right, So
I mean, I'm trying to get where he is right now.
So I'm for show. Digg into some of his film,
take some of the stuff out of his two box
that he has. Remember we did the zoom we when
I have my son. Yeah, I got the twin boys.
I just always trying to collect these for him, you
know what I I mean? Yeah, so this is perfect, my man.
(15:31):
Get out your hair, graduation. Appreciate best of luck. Man, appreciate,
Appreciate at the very least, to enjoy yourself. Celebration, celebration.
A lot of people, A lot of people in this position.
(15:53):
Like that's when Howard says, not many people are ever
in the position. Davante finds himself and now twenty four
hours from the NFL Draft, exchanging jerseys with other Heisman
Trophy winners, booking morning show appearances on the cusp of
his dreams coming true, and tens of millions of dollars
heading his way. How many people get here, regardless of
(16:15):
where they come from. Even fewer arrived at this moment
from towns as small and remote as they meet Louisiana.
Here's Davante, and now his small town upbringing shaped his worldview.
It at me that ain't nothing to do, so I
feel like it's molding me. I mean big though, you guys,
Walt Moret, you gotta win, Dick, see what I mean.
That's pretty much. You gotta come fast f places, signing
(16:38):
Madala stuff like that. But I mean, it ain't nothing
to do. And they meet outside of a lot of
sports and stuff like that. But I was by my
pops a lot too, So like when I'm home and
a meet, it's like sports. When I'm out there by
my pop, it's like we in the woods. I had
the best of both worlds, just being like exploring nature
and stuff like that, like we can squirrel and stuff
(17:00):
like that, like we shooting squirrels, just playing around in
the woods and stuff like that. DeVante's parents were no
longer together, and he spent most weekends staying with his dad.
One specific memory in the Louisiana Biou stands out back
when he was barely a teenager playing in the woods
with his cousins. I was probably like twelve thirteen, and
(17:22):
like it was raining by my pops is like a creek,
so like when it rained, like it was a lot,
So we was deep in the woods, like this is
the first time and last time we ever went by
the creek. Never been back there again. So it's pouring down.
Rating water is like knee high, and like when you
first get into it, you don't see how flooded it is.
(17:45):
So like you're walking for a good little minute and
then it's like all of a sudden, just get flooded
and we just see how hot the water is. And
then like we just started hearing stuff. My older cousin
he like, what's this. I'm I don't hear that. He
was like, man, that's that's that's sounding hog, I know
sound a hall Farrell hawks in Louisiana can weigh over
five hundred pounds and can grow four to five inch
(18:06):
long tuss along with sharp pointed teeth that looked like fangs.
This is what Davante and his cousins think that we're
hearing nearby and the flooded value. So we go to
looking and then like we see it, so like everybody
don't move, everybody to sit there. So like were just
sitting at the hall with the sit you. He was like,
we can't see him for help. We're gonna make the
(18:27):
only thing in my mind was you out run one person.
You know you you're gonna be good. The last person
that's up to you what happened with you and the all.
So it was just like on the count of three,
everybody take you all running. Nobody knews it because like
it's flooded, not so like it's no tracks to show
you what what are you're going back to? So it
(18:48):
was just like just right, everybody follows. Somebody just hoped
it we end up getting somewhere, so we take off running.
I wasn't looking back, but I know Shan wouldn't laughing.
Not when when you pick go running for your life
from a giant wild hog and a swamp may not
directly translate into developing NFL ready speed, but it sure
(19:09):
doesn't hurt. It's another example of the smallest guy always
making sure he never got caught. Because DeVante spent his
entire youth fighting or fleeing bullies on the playground, the
would be tacklers on the gridiron and wild animals in
the woods, there's a reason his coach, Nick Saban said
(19:29):
he competes as well pound for pound as anybody that
I've ever had the chance to coach. Tell many how
many receivers are tougher than he is, that block better,
that play more physical than he does. That's high praise
coming from the most successful coach in college football history.
The question is, will NFL teams be able to look
past the size of his jersey and focus on what's
(19:51):
underneath it instead? We'll be right act. Becoming the DeVante Smith,
who has talked about as a top pick in the
(20:12):
NFL Draft, didn't happen by chance, Not when you're the
smallest kid who everyone doubts. He had to turn that
one and twenty pound high school freshman into the most
dominant player in college football. Here's Clutched Sports founder and
CEO Rich Paul describing what he saw when meeting DeVante
in Los Angeles for the first time. When I met
(20:36):
DeVante for the first time, I knew it. I asked me,
I said, you know, what do you want to do
if I just want to go? You know, he was
in l A. No anything we can help you with,
get you you want to see something? Now, I'm good.
You know, we take the meeting, but maybe did somebody
eat didn't do a t other shop and didn't want
(20:56):
to go look at the cars and direct that, And
it's just like not that it is anything wrong with
any of that. He just didn't have no interest. I
was like, oh, he's serious about football. He's serious about football,
which I love, which is why he was so good.
Here's his mom, Christina again describing when her son's determination
grew even if the rest of his frame didn't keep up.
(21:18):
I knew the talent was there early on, but his
sophomore year in in high school is when I knew
that Davante had what it took. He had the work ethic,
he had the drive and determination. He's always wanted to
play in the NFL. That's always been a dream of his.
(21:39):
But I really saw it his sophomore year in high school.
We live right next to a park, so he would
get up and he will go to the park and
and run. He had the cones, he had the cape
to put on to help him with his speed. It
was like he had whatever he needed to try to
(21:59):
get himself better. He did it. He did drills in
the park before school, practiced and lifted weights after school,
and even developed a routine during the day. I had
a time on my phone for like every hour, do
thirty push up. So like I'll be in class and
like the time I'll go off, like I just do
(22:20):
something again, just be like teachers would be like, you
can't be you can't be having your phone or on off.
But this high got away with it. It It was like
every class is only four to five minutes at the most,
so it's only gonna ring once in every class, Like
you can't report me for doing push ups. So it
was just like it's nothing you can do besides tell me, like,
you get up and stop doing this. By by time
(22:40):
you do that, I've been at them a thirty hour.
So every time ring, I just like my fault. I
didn't know, and I just do the push up and
be like I ain't gonna worry about this class. When
it first started, they was like, what are you doing?
What are you doing? Push us fun? And I'll just
be like, oh, I just had to do them real quick.
And then like he got to a point like everybody
if they knew, like that was a consistent thing, so
it was just like just let him do it, so
(23:01):
let him going and get knocked. The way he was
so consistent with his mid class push ups, teachers and
students all grew accustomed to his alarm going off, him
dropping and doing thirty and then going right back to
the Pythagorean theorem and the Lord of the Flies. And
while he honed his body throughout high school, he also
had to develop his killer instinct. He even if that
(23:23):
meant learning to be more selfish. In the final moments
of his high school teams playoff basketball game, his seconds off,
We're down one and everybody wants me to take the shot,
but like trapped me. I had a screen, said someone
of the screen came like they trapped me, like someone's
wide open. So like I passed it and he didn't
(23:44):
shoot it. He passed again like my best friend had
shot the ball. He missed, and then he came to
me and he was like, man, I don't care if
it was five people. You know you're supposed to take
that last shot. And then I was like that stuck
with me, and I was just like all right, like
forget trying to give it to the old like carst time.
I don't care I many people on me. I want
to be in that moment like and that stuff with me.
(24:05):
Since then they're like five people on the they double me,
and he still say, like, you know, that's your shot,
because like that's what everybody expect for me. If we
had a hold of right now. Everybody see if I'm
taking the last shot, everybody gonna say you just because
like that's what you do. So it was just like
that moment, always steak with mean. I never let nothing
else happened like that again, game on line. I'm telling
(24:25):
you right now, give me the ball. I ain't trying
to heat with nobody else, gotta say throw me the ball.
The very next year, this lesson came into play with
a different ball, on a different field and not a
much much bigger stage. It's the college football season and
Davante is a freshman receiver at Alabama, playing behind multiple
future first round draft picks at wide receiver. The team
(24:48):
makes it to the National Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs,
and Georgia takes it to the Crimson Tide in the
first half. Alabama is down thirteen to zero as they
go into the locker room for halftime. Yeah, so freshman,
if we're in the game and stuff just wasn't going
our way. So we get the halftime, everybody in locker
(25:08):
room like, man, y'all need to get this ship together,
and like you can feel the energy of like one
person say the role thing somebody go, somebody will get punched.
The older guys they didn't play there. It was just
like if you weren't listening, like y'all, y'all start fighting,
because that's just how they would, like you're gonna listen
or somebody gonna beat you up. It's like everybody's just
sitting there just listening to them talk, and it was
(25:29):
just we we've been here before, like this, ain't that
knew this is what we do. Alabama have played in
two previous championship games before this one, so as Davante said,
this is what they do. And this time around, the
team makes one huge change at halftime. Coach Nick saman
decides to sit his starting quarterback and bringing the rookie
quarterback by the name of Tua Tonga Vloa. So it
(25:54):
was just like change, like second half like switch, and
like everything just started going out wayybody just started battling back.
Alabama ties the game and sends it into overtime. In
college overtime, both teams get the ball at least once,
so they each have a chance to score. We went
(26:14):
to overtime like you could tell the like we was
ready because you go out there for like the corn toss.
Oh them kill their helmets on and people Georgia didn't
have it on. So like when they came back, they
was like, man, they ain't ready. The ain't even got
their helmets on, like they don't want them more. Something
as small as the Georgia players not putting their helmets
back on for the coin toss was all Devonte and
(26:37):
his teammates needed to see, Like sharks moving in for
the kill. They could smell the blood that killer instinct
was kicking in. Overtime begins and Georgia receives the ball. First,
they kick a field goal, putting them up three points.
Now Alabama gets the ball. If they don't score, they lose.
If they kick a field goal, it goes into double overtime,
(27:00):
and if they score a touchdown, they win the national championship.
After the Alabama quarterback takes their brutal sack on their
first play, it's suddenly second and twenty six from the
forty one yard line. Alabama needs to do something drastic.
Always been ready for moments like that, Like that's moments
that like I want to be in that position. So
(27:22):
it was just like we go back to the huddle.
We kind of get the clay and I'm like, give
me a chance. And I ain't think he was gonna
throw it too, but I thought he's gonna look at
me and just be like, all right, whatever, man, But
I mean he threw it. Fires the touchdown battle ways
the true freshman come to Viola to Fonte Smith, Alabama,
(27:48):
right George, your heart. Davante catches the walk off game
winning touchdown in the National Championship as a true freshman.
Five other receivers on that Alabama team are playing in
the NFL right now. Three were first round draft picks,
but it's the one hundred and fifty nine pounds freshman
(28:11):
who catches the game winner completely untouched, straight out of
a Disney movie. Here's Vincent Sanders on that life changing
moment when he called the game won the National Championship
as the first one. When I went up to him,
was like, hey, you called you? He was like, damn no, man,
I missed a block on such and such player. I
(28:33):
was like, what you caught the past at one the
game and you said on that play, like, what the
hell is wrong? Be just kid. He was mad because
he messed up on a plate Prior to that, he
was upset with his self. I mean he was sitting
there with his head now, like come on, dud beast
(28:55):
like and I think I said something to him and
like man, stop warning a he was. I think it's
a problems. Maybe we could have scored on that point
and we had to go to old time or whatever.
His mom Christina went together. So yeah, when we did
get to see him, I was like, oh, baby, you
(29:15):
you caught the game. We didn't touchdown and it was
like yeah, And he just said that he didn't do
something on one of the plays and I was like, Devonte,
do you realize you just caught the Yeah, Mama, I know.
It was just like no big deal to him. It
was just another catch. So I mean that's him. He
(29:36):
always wants to try to get it right. I tell
people this all the time. Every fifteen years you get this,
Michael Jordan fifteen years, Kobe fifteen years, but Bra for
two years. You started with Lyon swanifteen years, you're right,
you go random Moss in the fifteen years Smith, you
(30:00):
do them every once in a while. We give that's
the difference from an NFL player and a Hall of
Fame because you got people in the NFL to go
to Pro Bowl. Do great, take lots of money, but
they don't go at all the fame. DeVante Smith won't
get go jackets in one more day. All the college
accolades will mean nothing, and the next chapter of DeVante
(30:23):
Smith's football story will begin. He isn't worried about the
teams thinking he's too small or doubting his ability to
play at the next level. He's not interested in making
TV appearances. We're driving fancy cars or eating five star dinners.
The only thing he cares about is getting a chance
to play against the bigger, older kids at the neighborhood
park to show everyone it doesn't matter how much you
(30:46):
weigh or what size jersey you wear. In DeVante's mind,
the drills at the park before school, the push ups
during class, the missed block in the game he already won.
That's the important stuff. Everything outside of football, it's just
a distraction. That's just how I am. The stuff there
sites other people don't assite me. I'm just like I'm different.
(31:08):
That's just how I am. Coming up this season, I'm drafted,
nineteen years of throwing the football, almost twenty, and he's
coming down to a two thousand one draft. I hope
I don't go out here and get my ass whooped
on national TV. And they're like, they ain't gonna call you,
(31:30):
And I was like, yeah, they called me like teen
minutes ago. If you love football this much and you
love money that much, then you got a chance to
play a lot of football and make a lot of money.
He's like, you're just pound for COVID, You're just positive
and I was like what. He's like, yeah, you need
to go home right now, like right now. Yeah, I
(31:58):
was trying out to cry. I didn't pay but out
a cry around me. My. Yeah, we picked homeboy, but
we still want you to take that. Come on, Calm
on phone, somebody, somebody, calm my phone. Drafted is a
(32:20):
production of tree Ford Media, Clutch Sports Group, and I
Heart Radio. The executive producers are Kelly Garner, Lisa Ammerman,
Eric Slott, Eric Weiner, and Shawn to Tone. The series
is produced and written by Eric Winer. Garme Mamalu is
our coordinating producer. Coral Silverberg is our associate producer. Tom
Monahan is our senior audio engineer. The show is mixed,
(32:43):
edited and hosted by me Stephen Johnson, additional production help
from Tim Shower and Hayley Mandelberg. For transcripts of the
show and more information undrafted, go to tree Fort dot fm,
and for more podcasts from my Heart, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows. Three
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