Devin Smith's early struggles are no reason to worry

Photo credit: buckeyextra.dispatch.com

Most Jets fans and draft analysts alike were high on New York’s second-round selection of Devin Smith with the 37^th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. A field-stretching speedster with the ability to win in the vertical game, the former Ohio State standout was a solid value pick who would fill a role nobody else on the Jets’ roster could.

While Smith has the ability to provide an immediate boost to the Jets' offense as a deep threat, the Jets want him to learn how to be a complete receiver as well. That’s something Smith wasn’t asked to do at Ohio State and, not surprisingly, he has struggled to learn multiple receiver positions early on. Wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell said the following about Smith:

"Devin struggled with [learning other receiving spots]. He came in thinking, 'OK, I'm coming in from a great program, they're going to put me in one spot and play.' Well, you're wrong. You're going to play more than one spot, and you're going to do that on the practice field."

Dorrell also complimented Smith’s skill set and acknowledged that learning how to play multiple spots when you’ve spent your entire college career playing just one is a difficult task for anybody, let alone a player who missed their three-day June minicamp awaiting the birth of his daughter. And while the rookie receiver has a lot to learn, this shouldn’t be a shock based on his college film, which I broke down in depth after the draft.

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