Eagles Select EDGE Nolan Smith with No. 30 Pick in NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles picked up a second former Georgia star by selecting Nolan Smith with the 30th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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With the No. 30 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith

Smith had seven tackles for a loss and three sacks over eight games in his final collegiate season. 

You can view the full scouting report for Smith on NFL Draft Bible, but here's a notable snippet: 

"Nolan Smith is an excellent athlete who is a terrorizing run defender. It all starts with Smith’s freakish get-off, where he keys the center and times the snap very well and his explosive first step covers a lot of ground. Smith makes up for his undersized stature with great technique, playing with low pad level and consistently winning inside hand placement to stand up tackles and control the point of attack." 

This was the second of two selections for the Eagles in the first round of this year's draft, as they previously picked Jalen Carter with the No. 9 overall pick. Howie Roseman and company moved up one selection in a trade with the Chicago Bears to secure perhaps the most talented player in the 2023 NFL Draft class. 

Smith continues a run of former Georgia Bulldogs being drafted to the Eagles, joining Carter, Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean over the past two classes. 

The Eagles will be back on the clock Friday night, beginning with the 62nd overall selection, which will be the 31st pick in the second round. 


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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science.