Needing Nolan

A lot of things went right for the Eagles defense last year as it finished the season number one overall. There were plenty of questions going into the season. Aside from Bryce Huff, the Eagles got a lot of good answers. The defense lost some key players this offseason so that means new questions for the 2025 season.

How will the team replace the 14 sacks by edge rushers that are now gone (Sweat, Huff, BG)? We can talk about Jalyx Hunt taking a big step forward. The front office thinks Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche can do their part. But the real key will be Nolan Smith.

Smith made a massive leap from his rookie season to 2024. He went from seldom-used role player to impact defender. He was a force in the postseason. Smith finished the regular season with 6.5 sacks, 11 QB hits and 8 TFLs. He added 4 sacks, 4 TFLs and 3 QB hits in the playoffs. Not bad for a guy that some wanted to label a bust because of his slow start.

Some might wonder if Smith can play like that for a whole year. I think he absolutely can. Smith fell to pick 30 in 2023, but there was some discussion of him possibly being a Top 10 pick. He lacked ideal size, but was a freak athlete.

• Height – 6-2
• Weight – 238
• Vertical – 41.5
• Shuttle – 4.15
• 40 time – 4.39

Guys like that aren’t available every year. I focused on some obvious stats above when talking about his impact last year. Watch the tape and you’ll see how disruptive he is even when he doesn’t make the play.

Nolan Smith was a MENACE on Sunday in a game where he played 95% of the snaps

✅ Pass Rush
✅ Coverage
✅ Run Defense
✅ Fanatical Effort

One of my favorite players to study on this #Eagles defense pic.twitter.com/gl7QQzuRGb

— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) December 16, 2024

As a pass rusher he can win with speed, strength, leverage and hustle. He mixes in different moves and is improving that part of his game. The thing that surprises you is what a good run defender he is. 240-pound edge players do not usually stand out when playing the run. Smith is tough and physical. He can blow up plays that come at him and then has the speed to chase down plays away from him.

Smith can still get better. His pass rush moves are still a work in progress. This will be his second year in Vic Fangio’s scheme so he should have an even better understanding of the defense and his part in it. Good players are constanly learning. He can watch 2024 tape of himself and figure out little things that need to be worked on. He also should have a lot more confidence going into this season.

The big challenge for Smith will be doing this for a whole season. Good players are consistent. That doesn’t mean having sacks every week, but it does mean playing well on a regular basis. Smith was erratic in college, which is why he fell to pick 30. He really came alive after the bye week last year and played well the rest of the season. It feels like the light came on for him so I expect Smith to have a big year.

I will never get tired of watching him blow up pulling linemen.

Nolan Smith has been an absolute nightmare for pulling linemen this season. Watch the knock back he gets on the right guard while Moro Ojomo makes the play pic.twitter.com/Egi5CEoxC5

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) February 10, 2025

Smith is coming back from surgery so that is one issue to deal with. It was a triceps injury and those usually don’t have lingering effects so I don’t think that will slow him down.

NFL.com has an article about young players who will be key to their team’s success in 2025. They had Smith on their list. He’ll have a lot of attention and some pressure on him for the first time in his NFL career. That’s where his time at Georgia should serve him well. They lived in the spotlight and constantly played in big games. I think Smith will be ready to shine.

*****

There are more OTAs this week. I fully expect Tanner McKee to surpass Johnny Unitas and John Elway in the pantheon of great NFL QBs after these three practices.

Let’s hope the team stays healthy and just gets a little better every day. That would make Nick Sirianni one happy man.

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