Draft analysts rave about Nolan Smith, make interesting NFL comp
Nolan Smith has a habit of turning people into fans. Kirby Smart became a fan when he began evaluating Smith at the high school level. Other coaching staffs took a liking to the EDGE/linebacker prospect throughout that process. Once he got to Georgia, fans began to love him for his relentless style of play, production, team-first mentality, and leadership.
Add two of the most prominent NFL Draft Analysts to the list. ESPN’s Todd McShay and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently partook in a joint interview on Ryen Russillo’s podcast where they gushed over the former five-star prospect.
Russillo framed the question around Green Bay and the hypothetical that Smith would be there when the Packers picked at No. 15. The Packers no longer have that pick after swapping first-round selections with the New York Jets, moving up to No. 12 with the trade for Aaron Rodgers, but Jeremiah answered first and heaped the praise on the ex-UGA standout.
“I would say it’s hard to find guys like this,” Jeremiah said. “So you could ding him for being 230-something pounds but all you have to do if you’re looking for ways you could use him is look at the Eagles and look at what they’re doing with Hassan Reddick. You can stay in that division also and this is one I heard the other day, Todd, when I was talking with a GM and you’re kind of pissed with yourself because your like, gosh, I didn’t even think about that. But he was like, “dude, if we draft Nolan Smith, we’ll use him like the Cowboys use Micah Parsons.
“Let him be kind of that spinner. Let him be that walk-around blitzer. We’re going to match him up on guards and let him use his athleticism and explosiveness to be a matchup nightmare. I think if he had played the whole year, he’d be a lock as a top-10 pick. I still think there’s a greater than 50 percent chance he goes in the top 10.”
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Smith essentially played in 7.5 games in 2022. He left the Florida game early with a torn pectoral muscle and did not return to the field for the rest of the season. He was on pace for a career year with seven tackles for loss and three sacks, but the numbers don’t tell the entire story. Smith routinely graded out as one of the top run defenders on the team regardless of position. He was also one of the most physical and focused Bulldogs in his four years with the program.
Dan Lanning gave him the nickname “hammerhead” just a couple of days into his first preseason camp because of how willing he was to attack blockers and play the run. In short, Smith did exactly what he was coached to do in Georgia’s stop-the-run-first defense.
McShay sees that part of Smith’s game but he also sees tremendous potential as a disruptor. There are some attributes there that just can’t be taught.
“Yeah I love him. I just… The think about him is you think 238 pounds, he’s not tough, he’s not trough, he’s a finesse guy. No. He’s going to give it all,” McShay said. “There’s times that he is going to be overwhelmed but he’s going to fight. He plays with leverage. He’s got some snap to him. You can’t coach 4.39. He’s going to be 245, 250 pounds when it’s all said and done. He’s still going to have elite speed and the change of direction, the outside-in moves, the ability to do that, I agree, Utilize him everywhere. In today’s league, I think he’s probably going to play more off the ball early in his career than he is EDGE. Then in obvious passing downs, you turn him loose whether it’s through the B-gap, C-Gap, wide-nine, whatever it is. But you have a unique weapon.
