During the lead-up to the 2023 NFL Draft, no prospect excited me more than Nolan Smith. Jalen Carter was the headline. A generational interior talent who somehow fell into the Eagles’ lap, but I never thought Carter was even a possibility. Smith, though? I was locked in on him from the jump. I mocked him to the Birds as high as the 10th pick, fully convinced he could help redefine the edge in Philadelphia.
As it turns out, the Eagles grabbed him at 30. I saw it as a gift, while others saw it as a gamble. It is starting to look like another master move by Howie Roseman.
Welcome to Philly:
Smith entered the league with questions. His size, sack totals, usage, but none of those doubts held up if you paid attention to his intangibles. If you watched him at Georgia, you saw a relentless leader with elite pressure rates. And if you saw him at the combine, you saw something else entirely.
We’re talking about a 6-foot-2, 238-pound edge rusher with a 4.39 forty and a 41.5″ vertical. Freakish athleticism that opened eyes and turned heads.
The Eagles don’t just embrace traits, they prioritize them. In Nolan, they saw more than a measurable marvel. They saw a culture fit. A future captain. A Brandon Graham protégé with that same fire-in-his-gut energy. Smith still calls BG for advice, still soaks up everything he can at the NovaCare Complex. You can see it in how he plays. He is aggressive and emotional, and always team-first.
And in 2024, you saw the payoff.
He didn’t leap, he launched:
After a rookie season spent learning behind a deep veteran room, Year 2 was his breakout. Smith appeared in 16 games, started 10, and forced his way into the conversation as a rising star on one of the league’s most dynamic defenses.
The numbers tell the story. He had 6.5 sacks, 42 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, 8 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble.
But it wasn’t just production. It was also his presence and leadership. He played fast. He started to make impactful plays in big moments. All of those traits started to matter. And every week, he reminded fans why the Eagles bet on him with the 30th overall pick.
He was explosive off the edge, disruptive in space, and increasingly reliable setting the edge in the run game. He was the best edge defender versus the run on the team. The coaching staff moved him around. He never stopped hunting. He didn’t just play like a guy trying to earn a starting job. He played like he belonged, and a guy who knows that he is a future cornerstone.
And then came the postseason.
Historic Postseason:
If you’re still somehow unsure about Nolan Smith’s future in Philadelphia, rewatch the postseason. Four games. Four sacks. Four TFLs. Five QB hits. One forced fumble. Sixteen combined tackles.
Those four sacks are the most by any Eagle in a single postseason in franchise history.
More than Reggie. More than Trent. More than BG.
That kind of record doesn’t happen by accident. It’s earned. He even grinded through injury on the biggest stage.
Smith suffered a torn triceps during Super Bowl LIX against Kansas City and played through it. Nolan never came off the field. He just kept coming off the edge like a missile.
It wasn’t just a great performance. It was a defining moment. The kind of thing that becomes part of the lore of Eagles history. Smith didn’t just show up and win a ring. He put his name alongside the legends who made a difference in doing so.
The Dawg Mentality Makes Him Different:
And yet, after the confetti fell and the parade ended, he, and most if not all of his teammates, were not soaking in the moment.
They were already moving forward.
“I’m not waiting to get no ring. We onto the next page. Like coach said, we gotta flip the page in the book. Everybody else has moved on to this year. So we can’t be stuck in last year.” (Via NFL Network)
That’s the mindset. That’s the edge. No pun intended.
He started in the youth leagues of Savannah, sharpened his skills at Georgia, where he won two national titles, and now, he’s channeling it in midnight green.
The Future Is Already Here:
Nolan Smith turns 24 this season. He enters Year 3 not just as a contributor, but as a player the Eagles are building around.
The first-round “traits-based” project at pick 30 of the 2023 NFL Draft has already proven his value.
He doesn’t need the hype, the legacy talk, or fan approval. He is focused on the future.
“Just stay hungry and be humble. Just stay on the grind.”
As always, thank you for reading!
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Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
