DeVonta Smith Sprains MCL – Is Smith too Small to Play in the NFL?
Well, it happened. Eagles rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith left practice on Monday with an apparent knee injury. Smith had an MRI which helped diagnose him with a sprained MCL in his knee. According to reports, the injury is considered minor and he is only supposed to be out “a couple of weeks” per Ian Rapoport.
This news led to the beating of the drums for the BMI crowd telling everyone “I told you so” regarding Smith being too small for the NFL. However, before we call DeVonta Smith a bust I think it’s important that we discuss this injury.
What we know is that Smith has an MCL sprain sidelining him for a couple of weeks. The MCL is the inside ligament on the knee and it is responsible for knee stability and controlling knee valgus or in other words, the knee excessively bending inwards. These types of sprains have three distinct grades:
Grade 1: Mild stretch/sprain
Grade 2: Moderate sprain/partial tear
Grade 3: Completely torn
Since we know Smith’s injury was considered minor and he is only expected to be out 2-3 weeks, I think it’s safe to say Smith suffered a grade 1 sprain or a very minor grade 2 sprain. Athletes who suffer grade 1 sprains typically return to sport around the 11-day mark and have minimal risk for re-injury. The Eagles also don’t seem very concerned about the injury, further providing evidence to support a low-grade sprain.
The Impact on Smith’s 2021 Season
From what I know, this injury shouldn’t linger nor affect Smith in any way this season. He should recover quickly and be ready for Week 1 of the Eagle’s season. However, that being said, what limits him more is missing out on key reps with second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts.
But remember, both AJ Brown and DK Metcalf missed time due to injury in their rookie seasons and both came out and produced almost 100 yards apiece. I say this a lot, but rookie wide receivers are more NFL ready than in seasons past.
Should We Be Concerned About Re-Injury Given Smith’s Low BMI?
Yes, DeVonta Smith is 6’ and 166 lbs. which puts him at a BMI of 22.5. We know that typically in the NFL the most successful receivers in regards to fantasy football have a higher BMI. You can calculate the top-24 wide receivers last season if you need proof.
However, what this doesn’t mean, is that because of Smith’s low BMI that we should be assuming that his body can’t handle the force of the NFL. This injury appears to be more coincidental than correlation to Smith being too small for the NFL.
Knee ligament sprains are extremely common in the NFL but decreased BMI or muscle strength has very little connection to increased risk of injury according to the research. Studies have looked at professional athletes’ isometric strength of both their quadriceps and hamstrings (the two main muscles that surround the knee) and found there was no correlation to increased ligament injuries or knee injuries altogether for that matter.
Smith is light and likely can’t squat as much as Saquon Barkley but this does not correlate with future risk of reinjury to Smith’s ligaments of his knee. If anything, research shows that higher BMI is generally associated with increased risk of knee injuries although this has not been looked at in elite athletes.
What to Do With Smith
If you believed in Smith before this injury, keep believing. If you didn’t, that’s fine too. However, don’t use this minor injury for any sort of evidence to change your or anyone else’s opinion that Smith’s body can’t tolerate the NFL.
Smith played football in the SEC, the closest thing to the NFL that we have for college football, and remained very much unscathed to a major injury.
2018: Hamstring strain – 2 games missed
2019: Grade 1 knee sprain – 0 games missed
2019: Shoulder Bruise – 0 games missed
2019: Dislocated finger – second half missed (but likely could have played if need be)
His injury history doesn’t suggest that his body can’t handle football.
Personally, I believe in DeVonta Smith. We saw him dominate NFL talent routinely at the college level. He creates separation and despite his size barely gets jammed at the line of scrimmage. We used to believe that elite speed was necessary to play WR in the NFL but we see receivers like Keenan Allen, Chad Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Allen Robinson do just fine without elite speed. Getting open is what translates to the NFL and it truly doesn’t matter how you do it.
BMI is part of the equation as we know top fantasy options normally have bigger BMI’s, but this almost seems like a point in the favor of Smith as he was able to dominate despite his low BMI.
To reiterate, if you are out on Smith because you believe his low BMI won’t translate to production I’m okay with that, but if you are out on Smith because his body won’t last in the NFL, you need to look at the research and re-evaluate this take.
-Zach Pavlichek, PT DPT
As always, feel free to reach out on Twitter @zachpav42 with any injury or fantasy football questions!
