Mel Kiper Jr. says Nolan Smith boosted draft stock with 'unreal numbers' at combine

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nolan Smith had a phenomenal trip to the NFL Combine. His testing numbers were elite and he will likely climb up draft boards because of it.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. explained how Smith was able to boost his stock.

“Smith, who tore his right pectoral muscle in November and missed the rest of the season, did just three drills on the field Thursday night, but he was elite in each one,” Kiper said.

“He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and put up a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump. At 238 pounds, he is now the second-heaviest player to run a sub-4.4 40 and have a 40-plus-inch vertical jump at the combine since 2006 [Vernon Davis is the other]. Those are unreal numbers for an outside linebacker.”

As Mel Kiper explained, Nolan Smith is an edge-rushing outside linebacker. That means that he’s going to fill a need for lots of teams in the NFL. Add in his raw athleticism and it’s clear that he can help an NFL team out.

“NFL teams covet edge rushers — it’s one of the positions they reach for most. Smith has all the physical tools teams want in an outside linebacker, but he had just 6.5 sacks over the past two seasons and too often got swallowed up by offensive tackles. He has to develop more pass-rush moves. I don’t have a Round 1 grade on Smith — he’s my No. 3 OLB — but I could see a team falling in love with him and taking him in the 15-25 range in April.”

Nolan Smith avoided clickbait at the NFL Combine

Nolan Smith clearly holds Alabama in high regard and when he was asked about the Crimson Tide during the NFL Combine, he refused to give any clickbait.

“Yeah, Georgia 100% is a great school and I’m trying to get more recruits because that’s how you continuously win,” Smith said.

“You gotta recruit, you gotta out-recruit schools like Alabama. I know a lot of people say… ‘Well, ‘Bama fell off.’ It’s the University of Alabama, let’s go ahead and clear it up that as long as Nick Saban’s there, they’re contenders. And I’m not going to give him any clickbait, I’m not going to give him anything to post in the locker room. I just want them to go at it again in the SEC Championship. I can’t wait to go to the first game.”