Two Georgia Bulldogs earned superlatives in Pro Football Focus’ NFL draft position superlatives.
Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith were featured in this story, in which PFF gave out awards for the defensive line prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.
Carter was named the interior defensive lineman with the best hands:
The uniting factor between the two best defensive linemen in this draft class is their ability to manipulate offensive linemen with their upper bodies. Carter has some of the more powerful hands you’ll ever see from a defensive line prospect, especially one that’s not a hulking nose tackle. The power he showed on tape for only a true junior was special.
Smith won “best get-off” among edge defenders:
It may not be terribly surprising that the edge who runs a 4.39-second 40 with a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump has an elite get-off. Flip on the tape, and it matched those testing numbers from Indy. He is the best pure speed-rushing prospect in this class and can be an impact run defender as well with his get-off despite being undersized (238 pounds).
Carter was also named the “most versatile” interior defensive lineman:
Part of the beauty of Carter’s game is his ability to win in so many different ways. He has the lower-body strength to get plopped down at nose tackle, the length (33 ½-inch arms) to go toe-to-toe with offensive tackles, and the quickness to get past guards, which is why he was the top non-quarterback on the PFF draft board prior to his off-field issues this spring.
Carter is widely considered the best prospect in the upcoming draft. Mel Kiper’s Top 25 big board for the 2023 NFL draft featured Carter ranked as the No. 1 overall player, where he’s been since December.
Smith was also featured on Kiper’s board, ranking No. 15 overall. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound pass rusher showed off his explosive lower body with a 41.5-inch vertical jump. Only three linebackers have recorded a higher vertical jump in NFL combine history (one of them is former Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall).
Smith ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any linebacker at the combine with a time of 4.39 seconds. He is the heaviest player to have a vertical jump over 40 inches and a 40-yard dash under 4.4 seconds.