Philadelphia Eagles select Nolan Smith in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

One of the SEC’s most feared defensive players will now take his talents to the next level, as former Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith was selected No. 30 overall in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Smith was a blue-chip prospect out of high school, ranked a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall player in the nation for the 2019 recruiting cycle according to On3’s Industry Rankings. He chose to attend Georgia out of IMG high school in Florida and made an immediate impact, becoming the co-winner of the Bulldogs’ Defensive Newcomer of the Year award in 2019 with 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

He’d go on to be a perennial starter and an important leader in Georgia’s back-to-back national championship wins. He ends his collegiate career with 114 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Smith started eight games last season for the Bulldogs before suffering from a season-ending torn pectoral muscle against Florida.

But Smith looked more than healthy at the NFL Combine, measuring in at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds and running the fastest 40-yard dash time among all front seven players with a blazing 4.39. He also had the highest vertical jump among all defensive lineman and linebackers at 41.5’’, putting his elite level of athleticism at the position on display for all to see.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Nolan Smith

Nolan Smith is just one of many talented EDGE players in this year’s NFL Draft, but what makes him different from the rest? NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein answered just that, breaking down the game of Smith and comparing him to newly signed Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Samson Ebukam.

“Lower weight class edge defender with the toughness to mix it up with bigger players. Based purely upon his sleek but smallish frame, one might expect him to be more effective as a rusher than run defender but the opposite is true. Smith is hard to move off of his spot due to his technique and leverage, and he can be disruptive when firing into gaps,” Zierlein said. “He can get off the mark as a rusher, but lacks the counters and contact balance to consistently assault the pocket at a high rate. Smith falls below the size standards some team might have for a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he plays team-first defense with quality technique that should help him translate to the pros.”