Should We Be Worried About Nolan Smith Going In 2nd Season?
There was initially excitement when the Eagles drafted Nolan Smith. He was a name people talked about the Eagles potentially taking with the 10th pick. So when he fell all the way to pick 30, people thought it was a steal. You got a guy at pick 30 that many people would have been happy with at 10. Surely Howie Roseman made out like a bandit, right?
A year later, that answer is not so clear. Nolan Smith was a major disappointment in year 1. Some will tell you that is because he didn’t get a chance to play. I am more inclined to believe it is because he couldn’t get on the field.
Yes, he was buried behind Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat, but we saw in 2022 that the Eagles are willing to rotate guys if they trust the players behind them. If the Eagles thought Smith could help, they would have found a way to sue him. With their pass rush struggling so much at the end of the year, if they thought he gave them a better chance, he would have been on the field.
Nolan Smith Has The Traits, But Not The Production
Nolan Smith has elite athletic traits. It is why he was such a well-regarded recruit before he got to Georiga, and it is why scouts loved him so much before the draft. But even at Georgia, where he had a lot of talent around him, he was never productive. In 46 career games at Georgia, he had just 11.5 sacks.
The hope was that this year he would make the jump. That we would see him live up to the hype he came into the NFL with. That those athletic traits that had people excited about him would finally materialize into production. They pretty much need him to with Haason Reddick not being here anymore. But will he?
We have heard a lot about Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis looking great in camp. Bryce Huff seemed to struggle early but came on strong late. We have heard a lot about a lot of guys. But one name we have not heard much about is Nolan Smith, which is not exactly a good thing.
There are positions where your name not getting mentioned can be a good thing. Edge Rusher is not one of those positions. Anything you do well, whether it is getting after the QB, shutting down the run, or breaking up the pocket is going to get noticed. But we have hardly heard a peep out of Nolan Smith.
He had a sack against Drake Maye sure, but he also had a late hit in that same game. In game 3, he was a starter and out there for much of the game. But watching the game, you might not have even known, because he failed to generate much pressure or get noticed in any meaningful way. The fact he was even out there while many other notable players were not, is not a great sign of how the Eagles feel about him
Players don’t become busts after 1 year, but you also expect a 1st round pick to contribute by year 2. And he does not look like a guy prepared to take that next step. He still looks like a guy with great speed, but who lacks the strength to beat his guy consistently.
Small Edge Rushers have worked in the past, but they have also failed. People like to compare him to Haason Reddick, who also started a bit slow. But Reddick had productive years in College. Smith hasn’t been productive since High School. People like to say Brandon Graham started slow, but Graham had two straight seasons with double-digit sacks to close out his college career.
I am not saying to give up on Nolan Smith. Maybe he figures it out. But the concern with him is that he lacks the strength to be a great Edge Rusher, and nothing we have seen this year, apart from him coming in a bit heavier, suggests his play strength is any better this season.
The Eagles Edge Rush room is a major concern after trading away Haason Reddick. They need Nolan Smith to be good. But right now, I can’t say I have much faith in that happening.
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