To the pleasant surprise of many, University of Alabama star wide receiver DeVonta Smith has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2021 Senior Bowl, to be held January 30 in Mobile, Alabama.

This year’s Senior Bowl and the week of practices, workouts and interviews before the game will look a little different due to COVID-19 protocols, however the annual showcase will still be a premier scouting opportunity for NFL prospects and teams.

The game itself is already sold out (with limited capacity) for its first-ever game to be played in the state-of-the-art Hancock Whitney Stadium located on the campus of the University of South Alabama.

Now, the event has added the Heisman Trophy winner to the list of elite prospects who have accepted the Senior Bowl’s prestigious invitation to participate.

The staffs of the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins will coach the respective teams. Miami owns both the third pick and 18th pick in this spring’s draft, and the Panthers have pick No. 8.

One incentive for Smith to participate in the Senior Bowl is the difference in contract values between top picks; looking at last year’s numbers, there was a $10 million difference in picks No. 3 and No. 7, for example.

Best I can tell, DeVonta Smith will be the 10th Heisman winner to participate in the @seniorbowl.
The other 9:
Doak Walker, 1950
Alan Ameche, 1955
Pat Sullivan, 1972
John Cappelletti, 1974
Bo Jackson, 1986
Carson Palmer, 2003
Troy Smith, 2007
Tim Tebow, 2010
Baker Mayfield, 2018

— Creg Stephenson the First (@CregStephenson) January 18, 2021

The Senior Bowl’s website also says that Alabama offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood, Landon Dickerson and Deonte Brown and long snapper Thomas Fletcher have accepted invitations.

Looking around the Yellowhammer State, Auburn’s KJ Britt, South Alabama’s Riley Cole, and UAB’s Jordan Smith and Austin Watkins, Jr. have also reportedly accepted Senior Bowl invitations.

UPDATE 12:00 p.m. 

Smith will not participate in the Senior Bowl game or any of the week’s on-field activities due to the thumb injury he sustained in the National Championship Game last week. Instead, he will focus on team interviews and meetings.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn