Nolan

Smith Jr.

The top spot belongs to Will Anderson who is one of the best pass rushers we have seen in years. The second spot was a question but Brugler believes it to be Smith (6'3/235). He cites his twitchy athleticism as his best trait, something he uses to get to the quarterback and to stop the run. If he can improve his play strength, that will go a long way in securing a spot at the top of his edge rankings come April.

Smith (6'3/235) was listed as a top-five pick in a recent way-too-early 2023 mock draft by The Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield. That’s not without reason as he looks to be one of the best defensive players in the SEC this upcoming season. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith’s 90.6 run defense grade led conference EDGEs in 2021. It will be interesting to see how he expands upon that in 2022.

Smith (6'3/235) hasn’t received quite the same amount of talk as some other prospects projected to go in the first round, but he’s very much a player to keep an eye on as someone who could rise even further up the draft boards than he’s already projected to. Mark Schofield of The Touchdown Wire recently pinned Smith to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 4 overall: “If you look at the other “way too early” mock drafts out there, many have the Seattle Seahawks addressing quarterback with the first of their two selections in the first round. Will Levis from Kentucky is a popular selection here, and while I understand the reasoning, I have them going in a different direction right now, as the Seahawks tend to do. Nolan Smith might be the next elite defender to come from the stellar Georgia defense, and has already drawn the attention of many scouts and evaluators.”

Smith (6'3"/235) was the former No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class, and while beyond gifted physically hasn’t been able to turn it into the prodigious production that was expected of him. Still, Smith has been good, racking up 53 total tackles this year (eight for loss) along with 4.5 sacks and an interception this year. He started basically every game for the Bulldogs in their championship season, so getting him back is a major boon. After all, it was Smith’s sack that ended the National Championship Game. Smith can also use this time to increase his draft stock, and if he has a stellar 2022 he could get into the first round with his athleticism.

Smith has not been a slouch by any means since coming to Georgia. In his two years on Campus, Smith (6'3/235) has played in most of the team’s games and racked up five sacks as a rotational rusher. However, Smith came to the Bulldogs as the No.1 recruit per 247 Sports’ composite rankings in 2019. The expectations were sky-high and Smith has merely been serviceable rather than an All-American. That said, with second-round pick Azeez Ojulari now out of the starting lineup, 2021 is Smith’s chance to really blossom and show off all his athletic potential.

Birds, bees, the first set of 2019 rankings filtering onto the internet. It is, indeed, summer. Smith (6'3/223) is the first member of football factory IMG Academy (Florida) to ever rank as Scout’s No. 1 prospect. He has been committed to Georgia since the end of January.

“Like Landry, Smith is a very disruptive force who can overwhelm at the point of attack and have enough athleticism to provide valuable pass-rush production on later downs,” the pair of analysts note of the 6-foot-3, 223-pounder. On the ESPN 300, Smith ranks second only to uncommitted DE Kayvon Thibodeaux overall. He’s long been in the corner of the Bulldogs, having initially committed to the program last winter.

Smith (6'3/235) continues to receive interest from title contenders Clemson and Alabama, but the elite edge rusher seems pretty deadset in his Georgia commitment. He’s eyeing an official visit to Athens for their huge Nov. 10 showdown with Auburn. A consensus five-star prospect, Smith might be as close to a slam-dunk recruit as one can find in the high school ranks. We would be surprised if he does not forge a productive career at the collegiate level -- he’s the definition of a high-floor prospect.

Rivals recently moved Smith up for a variety of reasons. Rivals’ Florida analyst Rob Cassidy said “Smith had an impressive offseason, testing well at camps and shining during IMG spring football. He moves like a much smaller prospect and has the size-speed combination to overwhelm small and large tackles alike.” Smith has been compared to former Boston College DE Harold Landry and is reportedly unlikely to waiver from his commitment to Georgia.

“Smith feels like the safest pick of any prospect in this class,” Simmons said at The Opening Finals. “He’s played elite level competition, he’s got the freaky 4.5 speed, he’s plenty big enough at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and he’s committed to his craft.” Smith is now a unanimous five-star recruit after being upgraded to one by Rivals in June, and the future Georgia edge-rusher has reportedly looked dominant at The Opening; an event that features the very best of the very best in terms of prep talent. There’s no such thing as a sure thing because of the volatility of recruits, but it does sound like Smith has a very high-floor for all the reasons Simmons mentions.