Nolan Smith shares on Combine expectations, mentality entering NFL

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith is expected to be back on the field for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in October. The Savannah, Ga. native tore his right pectoral muscle and spent the final seven games of the season on the sideline instead of being between the lines with his Bulldog teammates. However, when it comes time for linebackers and defensive linemen to do their on-field drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday, Smith says he’s ready to get back to work and in the middle of it all.

“No, I’m going to do on-field drills here and I’m going to do some at the Pro Day. I play football. That’s why I’m here,” Smith said during his media availability on Wednesday. “I haven’t done anything in a long time. I can’t wait to showcase my talents. Everyone thought I died and all this stuff. I turned off the mock drafts, I turned off my phone, and I picked up a book. You can’t hurt me. I just wanted to create an iron mind, a mindset that no one can hurt me. No matter what you say about me, I’m just going to work.”

That’s the same kind of mindset that Smith had during his time at Georgia. The No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2019, Smith played some during his freshman and sophomore seasons, but it wasn’t what many thought he would do. That’s because of guys like Azeez Ojulari, Jermaine Johnson and Adam Anderson who were also in the outside linebacker room. Instead of thinking about transferring though, Smith just went to work.

“Working hard and loving the program and Coach Smart,” Smith said when asked what it was that kept him in the program. “I just know, he believed in me. A lot of people think I was undersized. I’m not like other guys. Some guys, I wouldn’t say take the easy way out but when things don’t go their way, especially like in life now, guys transfer, guys leave. That’s just not how you do it. You stick in your program, you work hard and you prove to your coach that I should be on that field.”

“Really, I had to sit back. Guys in front of me were better,” he continued. “Azeez Ojulari, man. I would just watch guys work. A lot of people don’t say that. I was a young kid. I had a lot of learning to do. I didn’t know the system, I didn’t know the plays. If you don’t know your plays, your coach can’t put you out there. That’s where a lot of people fall off at. I just worked hard and never doubted. My mom always told me, you never had it easy in life so keep working.”

Smith finally came into the big role he dreamed of during his final two seasons at Georgia. In 2021, he finished fifth on the team in tackles as a part of a Bulldog defense that allowed fewer points per game than any defense in a decade. As a senior the next season, he was on track to be even better with 7.0 tackles for loss in eight games compared to 9.0 in 14 games the year before.

Smith was recently projected as a first round pick by NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah who compared him to Haason Reddick. That’s quite the comparison especially considering the career-high 16.0 sacks Reddick had this past season with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. However, it’s not Reddick that Smith says he molds his game after. Von Miller and Khalil Mack are the two pass rushers he says he’s seen the most of.

“That’s who I watched as a kid. He (Miller) also affected the game. He made pass rushers think that we can be something else,” Smith said. “We can affect the game by getting to the quarterback and not only getting a sack, but getting the ball out. See what he did in the Super Bowl and all those other years that he played. I just watch Von, Khalil Mack, there’s a lot of great pass rushers. But I really watch Khalil Mack and Von. That’s really about it.”

“I wish I could work with him. I’m not just one of the people that’s saying it. I heard that after every time he does a team drill, after six plays he runs a gasser,” Smith said, speaking on Miller after sharing stories about himself tossing hay bales following workouts. “I just found that out and said, every day he runs a gasser, I’m going to do that too with him. I’m going to do that for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes to be a Hall of Famer, for me to get 10 sacks and move like him. Whatever he’s doing, I want to do too.”

Smith and the outside linebackers, along with the defensive linemen, take the field of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network.