The Philadelphia Eagles’ postseason aspirations might have ended quickly, but the outlook on the year as a whole should remain positive.

Heading into the year, they were viewed as a team going through a rebuilding phase. Thanks to an impressive run to close the regular season, the Eagles once again found themselves in the playoffs.

Arguably the biggest bright spot for the Eagles this season was rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith. After being drafted tenth overall in last year’s draft, the former Heisman trophy winner lived up to expectations.

When all was said and done, Smith found himself in the Eagles’ record books. His 916 receiving yards are the most in a season by a rookie. DeSean Jackson previously held the record, who notched 912 yards back in 2008.

The organization is very high on the young wideout, and for good reason. In just his first season as a pro, Smith showed the potential to become one of the league’s premier talents at the position.

One person who is extremely high on Smith is Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni. During his end-of-year press conference Wednesday afternoon, he gave his thoughts on what he sees in the young prospect.

“I feel really good about the wide receiver group as a whole. I think you have a number one guy in DeVonta Smith. I think he is a number one receiver, and he is continuing to get better. I think he is a number one receiver because he can consistently win one-on-one, he can get the ball in his hands and make plays, he catches everything. I think there’s not a lot of true number one wide receivers in the NFL, and I think we have one.”

DeVonta Smith needs to be the focal point of the offense, no questions asked. pic.twitter.com/6zSoZEgIBq

— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) January 16, 2022

Smith was not the only receiver Sirianni sees potential in, as he also sung praises for Quez Watkins. The former sixth-round pick tallied 647 yards and one touchdown in his first full season with the Eagles. Sirianni sees big-play potential in Watkins and sees him as the team’s WR2 moving forward.

“I look at Quez Watkins as our number two wide receiver, and he’s got big-time speed. He has a knack to make plays. Quez has big-play ability in him, and I think out of the number two wideouts I’ve been around in the NFL, he can be one of the best number two’s that I have been around in the NFL because of his skill set.”

It’s clear Sirianni has big aspirations for this receiver duo moving forward, as he should. The numbers speak for themselves. With players like Smith, Watkins, Miles Sanders, and Jalen Hurts, the Eagles have the pieces in play to put together one of the top young offensive cores in the NFL.

Mandatory Credit: The Athletic