2023 NFL Mock Draft: Philadelphia Eagles add edge rusher

Nolan Smith, DE, Georgia

You all tousled.

You all tousled actually dangerous. If the Eagles have the thirtieth decide and Nolan Smith continues to be on the board, I might anticipate Howie Roseman to close off each cellphone within the warfare room and dash to the rostrum.

Let’s begin off with what stands out instantly about Nolan Smith: he’s an athletic freak. He ran a 4.39 40-yard sprint on the Mix, he jumped 128” within the broad bounce, and had a 41.5” vertical bounce. That’s good for ninety fifth percentile amongst EDGE rushers in all the most important classes. This athleticism exhibits up on his sport tape, as he has elite burst and bend in addition to the power to fully blow by each OT you place in entrance of him. Smith’s mix of pace, agility, and explosion is sufficient to make a DC salivate. He’s not going to win with a bull rush or push an OT again, however he doesn’t want to try this to be efficient.

Don’t mistake this for an absence of energy, although. He doesn’t have the kind of energy that may destroy a lineman however he is aware of the right way to flip his athleticism right into a devastating drive. His burst and pace can overwhelm anyone he goes in opposition to. He additionally has robust hand approach that may pack a imply punch on the level of assault.

Smith can also be extraordinarily ferocious. His motor runs scorching, he’s elite in pursuit, and he goes into each play with the boldness that the man throughout from him received’t be capable of block him. He’s the final word competitor who isn’t afraid to do the soiled work in opposition to gamers larger than him, whether or not it’s setting an edge or utilizing his pure leverage to manage a lineman. He performs with far more power and toughness than you’d anticipate from somebody of his measurement. This all mixed makes him among the finest run defenders within the draft.

There are usually 2 large negatives I’ve examine Smith: his measurement and his rawness. I personally assume these are each overblown worries. Let’s begin off with the rawness portion: if the Eagles draft Smith they don’t want him to essentially produce routinely. We at the moment boast an EDGE group of Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, Brandon Graham, and Derek Barnett for this upcoming season. Smith wouldn’t must step in and produce instantly, and he would have a seasoned veteran in Barnett and a cross speeding aficionado in Reddick to be taught from. Contemplating Barnett is within the final yr of his deal and Graham might be thought-about year-by-year, Smith can develop for a yr after which step into an enormous position in yr 2.

And talking of Reddick, he looks like an excellent comparability to Smith. Smith is an inch taller and mainly the identical weight as Reddick is now. Reddick was thought-about a uncooked prospect popping out of college and he didn’t have an excessive amount of manufacturing instantly. He additionally has 39.5 sacks over the previous 3 years. Don’t inform me that Smith is just too small to be efficient, he simply wants time that the Eagles can clearly present him to develop out his body.

In the long run, Nolan Smith simply has that canine in him. He’s a relentless, freakishly athletic, extraordinarily clever participant that may completely tear up the NFL if put in the correct state of affairs and given a little bit of persistence. He’s the emotional chief of arguably among the finest faculty soccer defensive items of all time. Oh, and I forgot to say he’s the previous teammate of each Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. To me, Philadelphia is the right place for him to go and I might extremely contemplate selecting him at the same time as excessive as 10. That is as near a slam dunk decide as you may get and simply makes an excessive amount of sense.

2023 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Panthers (pheebthegoose): QB Bryce Younger
2) Texans (Phoenix X Minimus): QB C.J. Stroud
3) Cardinals (alwaysaphillyfan): EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts (eaglenomics): QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks (The Participant Previously Often known as Mousecop): DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions (Sam2TheMaximum): DE Tyree Wilson
7) Raiders (joey2arms): OT Paris Johnson Jr.
8) Falcons (Kephas): CB Christian Gonzalez
9) Bears (chewy wellington): OT Peter Skoronski
10) Eagles (Philly21): CB Devon Witherspoon
11) Titans (RachAttack): WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
12) Texans (Domonate): WR Quentin Johnston
13) Jets (JawnJam): OT Broderick Jones
14) Patriots (Amish Eagle Lion): CB Joey Porter Jr.
15) Packers (bdawk4ever): QB Will Levis
16) Commanders (the canine did it): OT Darnell Wright
17) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen): CB Deonte Banks
18) Lions (DreadPirateRocco): DT Adetomiwa Adebawore
19) Buccaneers (Neil Dutton): DT Calijah Kancey
20) Seahawks (wardbell92): DE Myles Murphy
21) Chargers (Brendanekstrom): TE Dalton Kincaid
22) Ravens (Rollinpin): RB Bijan Robinson
23) Vikings (FierceDisc65): DE Lukas Van Ness
24) Jaguars (Leo Bedio): DB Brian Department
25) Giants (dkays): WR Jordan Addison
26) Cowboys (w.connell4): LB Drew Sanders
27) Payments (EHyungNim): LB Jack Campbell
28) Bengals (mainmanham): TE Michael Mayer
29) Saints (RiverCityEagle): DT Mazi Smith
30) Eagles (ablesser88): DE Nolan Smith
31) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time so that you can vote for who YOU assume needs to be chosen within the 2023 BGN Neighborhood Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Panthers: QB C.J. Stroud
2) Texans: QB Bryce Younger
3) Cardinals: EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts: QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks: DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions: DE Tyree Wilson
7) Raiders: OT Paris Johnson Jr.
8) Falcons: CB Christian Gonzalez
9) Bears: OT Peter Skoronski
10) Eagles: CB Devon Witherspoon
11) Titans: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
12) Texans: DE Myles Murphy
13) Jets: OT Broderick Jones
14) Patriots: CB Joey Porter Jr.
15) Packers: DE Nolan Smith
16) Commanders: OT Darnell Wright
17) Steelers: CB Deonte Banks
18) Lions: DT Calijah Kancey
19) Buccaneers: QB Will Levis
20) Seahawks: DE Lukas Van Ness
21) Chargers: RB Bijan Robinson
22) Ravens: WR Quentin Johnston
23) Vikings: QB Hendon Hooker
24) Jaguars: DB Brian Department
25) Giants: WR Jordan Addison
26) Cowboys: TE Michael Mayer
27) Payments: LB Jack Campbell
28) Bengals: TE Dalton Kincaid
29) Saints: DT Mazi Smith
30) Eagles: