Thumbs up or down? Eagles beat writers weigh in on drafting Nolan Smith

Nolan Smith was widely considered a top-15 prospect, and he arguably was this year’s top EDGE prospect. I tabbed him to the Eagles with their No. 10 pick in my first mock draft. On draft night, though, Smith slipped to the Eagles at No. 30. He missed six games during his final season at Georgia, but general manager Howie Roseman said there are no medical concerns regarding Smith, adding that he is fully healthy. At 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, some evaluators might consider Smith undersized, but NFL edge rushers no longer have a one-size-fits-all body type. If any additional convincing is needed, just look at Haason Reddick (6-foot-1, 240 pounds), who has 39½ sacks over the past three seasons, including a career-high 16 sacks in 2022.

In Smith, the Eagles are gaining an ultra-athletic pass rusher. Similar to Jordan Davis one year ago, Smith crushed the scouting combine. He recorded a 4.39-second 40-yard dash with a 1.52-second 10-yard split and a 41½-inch vertical leap. Smith’s athleticism score, according to Next Gen Stats, ranked first among all EDGE prospects. Starring on the nation’s top defense, Smith recorded 7½ sacks over the past two seasons. At the time of his injury, Smith had a team-high 16 quarterback hurries.

With Brandon Graham entering his age 35 season, the Eagles will welcome Smith, 22, and his infusion of youth with open arms. He joins a defense that finished last season with the third-most sacks in NFL history. And the Eagles are hoping to fully unlock his potential as a three-down edge rusher upon his arrival to Philadelphia, where he’ll reunite with former college teammates in No. 9 overall selection Jalen Carter and 2022 draft picks Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.

There isn’t much to quibble with when looking at the Eagles’ decision to draft Smith at No. 30 overall.

A week ago, I had them taking the explosive edge rusher 10th overall. Even though that felt like the top of his range, getting him 30th is excellent value for the Eagles, who now are stockpiling members of a vaunted Georgia defense that won the 2021 national championship.

Perhaps other teams had concerns with Smith’s size. The 6-2, 238-pound edge doesn’t have prototypical measurements, but he compares favorably to Reddick and plays well above his weight class. Those looking at his measurables may assume he’ll be limited to a designated-pass-rusher role early in his career, but Smith held up against the run in college and could earn some early-down work at the next level.

Overall, the decision to take Smith felt like a no-brainer. Alabama safety Brian Branch also would have earned a thumbs up, but Smith plays a more premium position. He also was considered a high-character, high-motor guy commended for his leadership traits in college, and he has athleticism to suggest he could become a difference-maker in the NFL. Oh, and he already knows how to play with the Eagles’ new young nucleus along the defensive front.

Heading into the draft, I had Smith as the most likely player the Eagles would select at No. 10, so it would be negligent to give anything less than resounding praise after they nabbed the Georgia outside linebacker 20 picks later at No. 30.

Why did he seemingly drop? Roseman wasn’t in position to answer that question early Friday morning, but the only explanation could be that some teams were wary about expending first-round capital on an undersized edge rusher. The more plausible version is that he slipped through the cracks.

I reached out to a source from one team that had a midround selection and asked why he thought Smith fell, and the response was, “No idea. We almost took him.” Another source from another team, though, said that outside perception didn’t exactly match the draft media’s projection. “He just wasn’t that high for most teams,” the source said.

Smith suffered a season-ending pectoral injury last year, but Roseman said his medicals were fine and that he was healthy. While he had a similar injury to the one that may have helped cause former Georgia teammate Nakobe Dean to plummet into the third round last year, it likely had little bearing on Smith’s perceived fall.

Nevertheless, Smith could end up a steal. The closest comp for 6-foot-2, 238-pound edge may be Reddick. It’s unlikely Smith will have to endure a move to off-ball linebacker like Reddick did early in his career. He’ll be able to come in and have time to develop playing behind the starter and veteran defensive ends Graham and Josh Sweat.

But he may be hard to hold back. Smith’s film jumps off the screen, as do his test scores off the page: a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, a 1.52-second 10-yard split, a 41½-inch vertical leap. Can he hold up over 17 games? That’s probably the main issue with drafting Smith so early. But the Eagles should have few concerns about the 22-year-old taking all the necessary steps to become a professional.