Welcome to the 22nd daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 22: NOLAN SMITH
Georgia defensive end
Smith is the No. 22-rated player on Pro Football Focus' big board. Speed is the name of Smith's game, and he utilizes his pure athleticism to uniquely stand out as a run stopper for someone who plays on the edge.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
Smith's 2022 was cut short after eight games after he sustained a torn pectoral muscle, but he tallied 18 tackles and 16 quarterback hurries leading up to his injury in Georgia's game against Florida.
In 2021, Smith racked up 56 total tackles, 9.0 for loss, to go with 3.5 sacks and 27 pressures. He led Georgia in tackles (eight) and added seven pressures in their College Football Semifinal win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Eve in 2021.
The Savannah, Ga., native was the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2019, per the 247Sports composite. He held 10 offers out of high school -- all from Power Five institutions -- including from Penn State. Smith is the 20th-highest-rated prospect overall dating to 2000, according to 247Sports.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Smith was the most athletic defensive end to test at the NFL Combine, ranking first among Combine ends in the 40-yard dash (4.39) and vertical jump (41.5 inches) and finishing third in the broad jump (10-foot-8). His 1.52 10-yard split also led all Combine ends, and his 40 time was 0.13 seconds off the overall pace set by Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II. He measured at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds, so while he is considered undersized for a defensive end, his athleticism more than makes up for it. He earned a comparison by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein to Samson Ebukam out of the Combine.
Here are a couple of his highlights from his pro day in Athens, Ga.:
Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith— two potential top-10 NFL Draft picks pic.twitter.com/LZDg0bHVlw
— Ryan Kerley (@RyanCKerley) March 15, 2023
Goodness. Nolan Smith has ridiculous bend! pic.twitter.com/ZYrcaGPABg
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 15, 2023
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Smith going at No. 14 overall to New England, with an average draft slotting at 15.5. Our own latest mock draft has Smith picked by Dallas at No. 26 overall.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
Edge rusher should certainly be on the Steelers' draft checklist, and Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan attended the Georgia pro day to scout the numerous NFL-ready players who the two-time defending College Football Playoff national champions had to present.
But, the odds of a first-round edge rusher taking over for the tandem of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith also seem unlikely. Also available from Georgia who Tomlin and Khan were there to see were offensive tackle Broderick Jones, cornerback Kelee Ringo, and defensive tackle Jalen Carter, among others. This position can be addressed in the draft, but the Steelers also shouldn't feel the need to take a player like Smith who would benefit more from standing up as a rusher than one who plays on the line.
COREY'S TAKE
Smith's athleticism is unquestioned, but he also might be a player who could benefit from the correct system while being held back by others. A stand-up rusher versus a rusher who plays down on a line can highlight different qualities of a player, and Smith seems like a prime player who would benefit from playing as a stand-up rusher because of his stature and because of the leverage he can attain on the edge. Uniquely, he was efficient as a run stopper despite his size, earning grades over 90.0 from PFF for his run stopping in each of his last two seasons.
THE REST
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
11. Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
12. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
13. Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
14. Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness
15. Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
16. Maryland CB Deonte Banks
17. Alabama S Brian Branch
18. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
19. Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
20. Tennessee OT Darnell Wright
21. Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
