Devin Smith Speaks to the Press

Jets second round pick Devin Smith spoke to the press today. Here is what he said.

On his initial reaction to being drafted by the Jets…

I was very excited. A team that I’ve watched over the years and loved is the word really, my family was right here with me. For them to experience this with me, it was unbelievable.

On how his speed can help the Jets passing offense…

I think it can help a lot, especially stretching the field deep and going vertical. I think I can really help this team in that area.

On the prospects on playing alongside Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker…

I’m ready to learn, playing with Brandon Marshall, he’s someone that I’ve watched for a while and excited to be his teammate, along with Eric Decker as well.

On his best 40-yard-dash time…

Somewhere in the 4.3 range. I ran that back in the spring when I was in school.

On what he brings to the table besides his speed…

I’m versatile. You can move me inside, you can move me outside. And I’m really good at special teams. I was gunner on punt coverage teams at Ohio State and I’m very effective on special teams.

On whether he talked to the Jets much leading up to the draft…

A little bit. I talked to him at the Senior Bowl a little bit and that was kind of it.

On whether there were any visits to the Jets prior to the draft…

No, I did not take a visit there. I talked to them a little bit at the Combine as well, but besides that, just the Senior Bowl and the Combine was the only time I really had contact with them.

On whether he had a sense that the Jets were interested in him…

I really didn’t know. I didn’t know who was interested in me so I really had to keep an open mind on who was going to draft me and just be ready.

On being a deep-ball specialist…

Really just making sure you track the ball down. I think it’s not as hard as a lot of people think. Make sure you concentrate on the ball, the simple fundamentals that come with catching the ball, make sure you let the ball land. If you have to jump, make sure you time your jump right. I think for the most part with all this, it’s good concentration and just knowing how to adjust to find that ball and things like that.