Nolan Smith, EDGE Georgia: Updated 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Smith was a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the class of 2019

Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith was the top recruit coming out of high school in the class of 2019. While he’s still a very good prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, he left evaluators wanting more during his four seasons with the Bulldogs. Here’s his full, end-of-season prospect profile.

You can view my summer evaluation on Nolan Smith here.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Nolan Smith, EDGE Georgia: Updated 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior outside linebacker from Savannah, Ga.

Background: Smith was a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 2 for Rivals, and No. 1 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 2nd in the nation with a 92 grade out of 100. Smith transferred to IMG Academy after two seasons at Calvary Day in Georgia. As a high school senior, he tallied 47 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 14.5 tackles for a loss. As a junior, Smith amassed 41 tackles, four sacks, ten tackles for loss, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and a blocked punt. In his sophomore year at Calvary Day, the Georgia native totaled 75 tackles, 27 quarterback hurries, 12 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt. Smith also played running back that season, leading Calvary Day with 712 rushing yards. He scored 12 total touchdowns.

2022 Production: 8 games, 18 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 19 pressures, 3 sacks, 1 pass defensed

2021 Production: 14 games, 53 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 28 pressures, 4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed

2020 Production: 10 games, 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 18 pressures, 2.5 sacks

2019 Production: 14 games, 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 19 pressures, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed one game in 2021 with an elbow injury, suffered a season-ending torn right pectoral muscle in 2022

Awards: 2019 Georgia Bulldogs Defensive Newcomer of the Year Co-Winner

Pros: Elite motor, missed tackles are rare, special teams experience on kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, adequate but not elite arm length, displays strength throughout his frame (most notably in his upper body), enough athleticism to cover the flats, gains necessary depth in zone drops, hands remain active throughout his rush, pushes upfield before ducking in to attack the inside shoulder, threatens inside rush lanes, attacks the tackle’s hands, powerful hands and arms pack pop and help him punch above his weight class, takes on and deadens pulling guards, closing burst to chase down near-side run plays, makes plays in pursuit, deploys his hands early in the rep, lateral agility to cross a tackle’s face against the run, speed to make plays as a backside run defender, explosive when he times the snap well, doesn’t appear to suffer from much stiffness, surprising play strength to set the edge or defeat blocks on his way to the football, above average agility and change of direction skills, slips off of blocks and redirects to the football, lateral bounce to shift between gaps, speed and slender build to shoot gaps, primarily wins with swipes, a push-pull move, his athletic advantage, and motor

Cons: Undersized for an edge rusher, lacks elite arm length, very limited college production, never played more than 500 defensive snaps in a season, athletic but not prepared for a large role in coverage, looks lost in zone drops, doesn’t always gain separation from blocks, half a second late off the line, plays through linemen instead of around them, lacks a developed pass rush plan, limited true pass rush moves and counters, doesn’t frequently attempt or display bend off the edge, doesn’t win in the half-man element of the pass rush, can’t convert speed to power, occasionally gets too far upfield and surrenders his gap, outside pass rush plan carries him too far upfield, hands can be more precise and coordinated, unlikely to add more mass

Overview: Smith is unofficially listed at 6'3", 235 lbs. He applied pressure on roughly 21.9% of his pass rush attempts in 2020, 10.9% in 2021, and 18.3% in 2022. Smith has experience rushing from two and three-point stances, but he appears most comfortable playing in a two-point stance. He has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units and plays with an elite motor. The former five-star recruit displays high-end play strength throughout his frame. His arm length is adequate but not elite by NFL standards. Smith possesses above-average agility and change of direction skills and displays lateral bounce to shift between gaps. He has the speed and slender build to shoot gaps. There were several instances in 2022 when Smith’s explosiveness and lateral agility allowed him to cross a tackle’s face in the run game while barely being touched. He’s explosive when he times the snap correctly and doesn’t appear to suffer from much stiffness. Smith has the athleticism to cover the flat and gain the necessary depth in zone drops. Missed tackles are rare for the Georgia native. He has the closing burst to chase down near-side run plays and makes tackles in pursuit. Smith’s speed lets him make plays as a backside run defender. His surprising play strength helps him set a hard edge against the run. He even deadens pulling guards despite giving 70 or 80 pounds to his opponents. Smith deploys his hands early in the rep and they remain active throughout his rush. He does a good job attacking the tackle’s hands. His powerful hands and arms pack pop and help him punch above his weight class. As a pass rusher, Smith pushes upfield before ducking in to attack the tackle’s inside shoulder. He also threatens inside rush lanes immediately off the snap. The senior slips off blocks and redirects to the football. He primarily wins as a pass rusher with swipes, a push-pull move, his athletic advantage, and relentless motor. However, Smith is an undersized edge rusher who lacks elite arm length and only posted modest production in college. He never played more than 500 defensive snaps or totaled more than 30 pressures in a season. It’s unlikely Smith will add more mass at the next level. His frame looks tapped out. Smith is athletic but not prepared for a large role in coverage. He looks lost in zone drops and struggles to stick with man coverage assignments. He is sometimes half a second late off the line and doesn’t consistently gain separation from blocks. As a pass rusher, Smith plays through linemen instead of around them. He lacks a developed pass rush plan and doesn’t have many true pass rush moves or counters at his disposal. The Georgia star doesn’t frequently attempt or display bend off the edge and doesn’t win in the half-man element of the pass rush. He can’t convert speed to power against legitimate competition. Smith’s rush gets too far upfield, compromising the defense’s gap integrity. His hands need to be more precise and coordinated to create an advantage consistently.

Overall, Smith is an undersized edge rusher with unique play strength and athleticism, which he uses to dominate in the run game. However, he lacks development as a pass rusher despite spending four seasons with the Bulldogs. Smith’s physical limitations as a pass rusher and concerns about long-term durability prevent him from earning a first round grade.  

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 12-23-22