Eagles Rookie Review: Nolan Smith must provide more value in Year 2

One in all 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 after they received an opportunity. I gained’t write a full scouting report as a result of I at all times do this after they’re drafted. You’ll find Nolan Smith’s scouting report here.

Beforehand on this sequence: Jalen Carter

Stats

General

Lots of it’s possible you’ll do not forget that I used to be not the largest Nolan Smith fan final low season. I’ve to be trustworthy when watching gamers, and I simply didn’t see a high cross rusher when watching his school movie. I noticed an important athlete with a really excessive ceiling. Many followers wished him at decide 10, however I believed that was too excessive for him. Here’s what I mentioned 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 staff. It could be enjoyable, and the upside may be very excessive due to the motor and velocity. However I’ve seen Nolan Smith mocked to the Eagles at 10 and I don’t see it. That could be a excessive decide to threat 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 turn into him. Reddick took just a few years to develop (and was a greater rusher in school), and I believe the identical might want to occur for Nolan Smith. He’s a helpful participant who flies across the area and could have a task, 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 mentioned he would take just a few years to develop, and I hope that’s nonetheless the case as a result of he seemed extremely uncooked as a cross rusher this yr. For those who 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 in opposition to good offensive linemen, and I didn’t see any traditional ‘bend the sting’ kind of rushes you need to see from a 1st spherical decide.

Anybody who acts like Nolan Smith’s weight will not be a priority in any respect is kidding themselves, in my view. He could have reps the place he simply seems small and light-weight, and highly effective offensive linemen could have their means with him. However that doesn’t imply he might be a foul participant. Everybody will lose reps. I count on Smith to be an affect participant from yr one and can contribute so much in numerous methods whereas creating as a pass-rusher.

Regardless of being fairly vital of him generally, I did count on Smith to be an affect participant in yr one and make just a few performs. Sadly, I don’t assume he received 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 might be in an important state of affairs 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 somewhat 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 many others. The Eagles needs to be artistic with him and benefit from his athletic profile and never count on him to beat actually good pass-blocking tackles on a one-on-one foundation constantly.

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 mentioned I didn’t assume he can be adequate to win one-on-one, and I believe that performed out all through the season.

Nonetheless, there was a giant situation 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 might carry out a wide range of roles, however he struggled in protection all through the season, which limits his skill shifting ahead. I hope the Eagles work on his skill to drop into protection this low season as a result of I don’t assume he might be adequate as a cross rusher to win constantly.

I believe he must be seen extra as an important athlete who can carry out a wide range of roles somewhat 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 considerations, 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 positive he might be a ‘celebrity’ cross rusher (he strikes me as a 5-8 sack man somewhat than a ten+) until he actually improves, however he might 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 shouldn’t simply be requested to hurry the quarterback each snap. You are able to do plenty of issues schematically with Smith and I’m extremely to see how the Eagles use him over the following 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 received to see him extra so he might develop. It felt like a wasted season for Nolan Smith in some ways. However I hope he discovered some helpful classes because the season progressed, even when he wasn’t enjoying a lot. You may see the expertise…

The Future

I’m very skeptical of Nolan Smith, as you possibly can inform, however this doesn’t imply that he has no worth. This can be a very apparent assertion, however when you can educate approach, you can’t educate athleticism. Nolan Smith has the type of athleticism that was worthy of a 1st spherical decide. If he works arduous on his approach as a cross rusher, there isn’t any motive why he can’t be a helpful cross rusher shifting 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 helpful 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. All the pieces I hear about Nolan Smith is that he’s a implausible man who needs nothing higher than to be nice. Many Eagles followers appear to love him so much due to what he says off the sphere (so I think about a few of this text might be unpopular!), however the work he places in off the sphere will in all probability decide whether or not he can hit his ceiling.

Nolan Smith looks as if a implausible man, and I hope he will get extra enjoying 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 turn into, however I nonetheless assume he might be extraordinarily helpful as an athletic freak who can rush the quarterback, be a strong run defender, and drop into protection when requested. I’m trying ahead to seeing how Vic Fangio views him, and he’s somebody I’ll have a really shut eye on shifting ahead. And naturally, it’s at all times value remembering that there’s at all times 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 just a few of them on my podcast over at Eagles Pin-Pull Community, which you will discover here. Please be at liberty to pay attention!