Eagles Rookie Evaluate: Nolan Smith should present extra worth in 12 months 2

Considered one of my favourite issues to do each low season is to match my post-draft notes on the Eagles’ rookies after which analyze how they carried out once they acquired an opportunity. I received’t write a full scouting report as a result of I all the time do this after they’re drafted. You could find Nolan Smith’s scouting report right here.

Beforehand on this sequence: Jalen Carter

Stats

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A lot of you might do not forget that I used to be not the most important Nolan Smith fan final low season. I’ve to be sincere when watching gamers, and I simply didn’t see a prime cross rusher when watching his faculty movie. I noticed an important athlete with a really excessive ceiling. Many followers wished him at choose 10, however I believed that was too excessive for him. Here’s what I stated about Nolan Smith final yr, with some feedback primarily based on what he did this yr.

I can’t assist however need freakishly athletic gamers on my group. It will be enjoyable, and the upside could be very excessive due to the motor and pace. However I’ve seen Nolan Smith mocked to the Eagles at 10 and I don’t see it. That could be a excessive choose to danger on a traits participant with restricted manufacturing. I can think about the Eagles liking him as a result of his closest comp might be Haason Reddick, however that doesn’t imply he’ll immediately grow to be him. Reddick took a couple of years to develop (and was a greater rusher in faculty), and I believe the identical might want to occur for Nolan Smith. He’s a helpful participant who flies across the area and can have a job, however I would like a greater cross rusher at 10.

It’s solely been one yr, however I really feel like I used to be proper to be skeptical of Smith as a cross rusher. I stated he would take a couple of years to develop, and I hope that’s nonetheless the case as a result of he regarded extremely uncooked as a cross rusher this yr. When you look again at his sacks and pressures, they have been usually unblocked, and I didn’t see a wide range of pass-rush strikes. He struggled to counter towards good offensive linemen, and I didn’t see any basic ‘bend the sting’ kind of rushes you need to see from a 1st spherical choose.

Anybody who acts like Nolan Smith’s weight will not be a priority in any respect is kidding themselves, for my part. He can have reps the place he simply appears to be like small and lightweight, and highly effective offensive linemen can have their manner with him. However that doesn’t imply he will likely be a nasty participant. Everybody will lose reps. I count on Smith to be an affect participant from yr one and can contribute lots in numerous methods whereas creating as a pass-rusher.

Regardless of being fairly important of him typically, I did count on Smith to be an affect participant in yr one and make a couple of performs. Sadly, I don’t assume he acquired the snaps to contribute, however we did see some profitable performs the place he confirmed off his expertise and athleticism, particularly in run protection.

Smith will likely be in an important scenario as a result of he’ll doubtless by no means get chipped or doubled in his first yr or two due to how proficient the Eagles are upfront. I want him as an EDGE defender within the Eagles’ 5-man fronts and extra of a moveable off-ball linebacker in 4-man fronts quite than a strict defensive finish (apart from apparent pass-rushing conditions). I’d be so dissatisfied if the Eagles simply lined up Smith as an every-down cross rusher. He needs to be utilized in protection, used on unique blitzes, utilized in stunts and so forth. The Eagles needs to be artistic with him and make the most of his athletic profile and never count on him to beat actually good pass-blocking tackles on a one-on-one foundation persistently.

I used to be dissatisfied with how Sean Desai used him total. I don’t assume we noticed him used on unique blitzes or stunts sufficient they usually did simply ask him to be a cross rusher too usually. I stated I didn’t assume he could be ok to win one-on-one, and I believe that performed out all through the season.

Nevertheless, there was an enormous challenge with Nolan Smith’s recreation that I haven’t seen mentioned a lot on-line. I anticipated Smith to be a jack-of-all-trades defender who may carry out a wide range of roles, however he struggled in protection all through the season, which limits his capability transferring ahead. I hope the Eagles work on his capability to drop into protection this low season as a result of I don’t assume he will likely be ok as a cross rusher to win persistently.

I believe he must be seen extra as an important athlete who can carry out a wide range of roles quite than a straight-up EDGE cross rusher. However I do know many followers will disagree with me right here!

There’s no level in mendacity and saying I’ve by no means had any issues, however I believe at worst you might be getting a twitchy athlete, with a excessive motor, who seems to be an unimaginable character addition within the locker room. I simply can’t see him busting or not having any worth. I’m not certain he will likely be a ‘famous person’ cross rusher (he strikes me as a 5-8 sack man quite than a ten+) until he actually improves, however he will likely be helpful in so many alternative methods. He’s a modern-day jack-of-all-trades defender who can achieve this many issues as an off-ball linebacker/EDGE defender and mustn’t simply be requested to hurry the quarterback each snap. You are able to do numerous issues schematically with Smith and I’m extremely to see how the Eagles use him over the subsequent few years.

I’ve not given up on Nolan Smith as a result of his rookie season was what I anticipated. I by no means noticed the cross rusher that others did. I want we acquired to see him extra so he may develop. It felt like a wasted season for Nolan Smith in some ways. However I hope he realized some worthwhile classes because the season progressed, even when he wasn’t taking part in a lot. You’ll be able to see the expertise…

The Future

I’m very skeptical of Nolan Smith, as you’ll be able to inform, however this doesn’t imply that he has no worth. This can be a very apparent assertion, however whilst you can educate method, you can not educate athleticism. Nolan Smith has the type of athleticism that was worthy of a 1st spherical choose. If he works arduous on his method as a cross rusher, there is no such thing as a cause why he cannot be a worthwhile cross rusher transferring ahead. As I didn’t pre-draft, I nonetheless don’t see him as a ten+ sack man, however I count on him to be extra worthwhile than he was this previous season.

As well as, there’s something none of us can predict, and that’s how arduous gamers work off the sphere. Every little thing I hear about Nolan Smith is that he’s a unbelievable man who needs nothing higher than to be nice. Many Eagles followers appear to love him lots due to what he says off the sphere (so I think about a few of this text will likely be unpopular!), however the work he places in off the sphere will most likely decide whether or not he can hit his ceiling.

Nolan Smith looks like a unbelievable man, and I hope he will get extra taking part in time this yr. My intestine feeling nonetheless tells me that he won’t ever turn into the cross rusher that many followers hope he can grow to be, however I nonetheless assume he could be extraordinarily worthwhile as an athletic freak who can rush the quarterback, be a stable run defender, and drop into protection when requested. I’m wanting ahead to seeing how Vic Fangio views him, and he’s somebody I’ll have a really shut eye on transferring ahead. And naturally, it’s all the time price remembering that there’s all the time stuff occurring behind the scenes that we don’t find out about!

If you need much more evaluation on the Eagles’ rookies, I’ve spoken about a couple of of them on my podcast over at Eagles Pin-Pull Community, which you could find right here. Please be happy to pay attention!