Tag: Nolan Smith

Titans address OT, EDGE and WR in PFN’s 3-round mock draft

The Titans go OT, EDGE, WR in Pro Football Network’s recent three-round mock draft.

The Tennessee Titans have a massive offseason ahead as they find themselves at a bit of a crossroads.

After undergoing the first losing season in the Mike Vrabel era in 2022, the Titans will look to get back on track in 2023. To do so, Tennessee will have to make some difficult decisions over the next couple of months.

Arguably the biggest question the team has to answer is what it should do with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Titans have obvious holes at wide receiver and along the offensive line, so barring the team trading up for a quarterback, that’s where most people expect them to go when they’re officially on the clock come April.

Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza recently released a three-round mock draft and has the Titans addressing one of their biggest needs in Round 1.

However, he throws a bit of a curveball in Round 2 before getting back to a true position of need in Round 3. With all that said, let’s dive into PFN’s latest three-round mock draft.

Seahawks 2023 NFL mock draft: For the Love of Defense edition

This past season Seattle ranked No. 25 in scoring defense, No. 21 in defensive DVOA, and No. 26 in EPA per play.

The Seahawks have a potent offense going into 2023, presumably led by established starting QB Geno Smith. However, if they’re going to get back to the Super Bowl anytime soon they’ll need to radically improve on defense, because the numbers aren’t pretty. This past season Seattle placed poorly in both traditional and modern metrics, ranking No. 25 in scoring defense, No. 21 in defensive DVOA and No. 26 in EPA allowed per play.

While we have seen worse in recent years, it’s still a far cry from the team’s absolute peak exactly eight years ago and they haven’t fielded anything close to a top-five defense since 2016. That has to be driving Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll absolutely bananas and nuts. (Carroll admitted it’s “killing him” to reporters in his end-of-season press conference.)

Schematic tweaks will have to be made as part of the improvement. However, recapturing that special Legion of Boom feeling will require some major personnel upgrades.

With that in mind, our latest seven-round 2023 mock draft is made up exclusively of defensive picks. Here’s how it played out.

2023 NFL draft: All 51 defensive linemen invited to the Scouting Combine

Here are all 51 defensive linemen who have been invited to this year’s Scouting Combine.

The true strength of the 2023 NFL draft class may be its defensive line prospects. That’s excellent news for the Seahawks, who have the second-most total draft capital in the league and a desperate need to improve both their interior and edge rotations. We’ll get a closer look at this group at the end of the month in Indianapolis.

Here are all 51 DL who have been invited to this year’s Scouting Combine.

4 Georgia Bulldogs go in first round of 2023 NFL mock draft

NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah predicts that four Georgia Bulldogs and a UGA transfer will go in the first round of the draft.

NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah thinks that four Georgia Bulldogs will go in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Georgia has won consecutive national championships. It is tough to win a national championship without a lot of NFL talent. Georgia fans should expect Bulldogs to be selected early and often in the 2023 NFL draft. However, it is unlikely that Georgia will break last season’s record of 15 players selected in the draft.

Georgia junior defensive tackle Jalen Carter has a chance to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Here’s the four Georgia Bulldogs and one Georgia transfer that Daniel Jeremiah projects to be first round picks:

2023 NFL draft: Chargers address defense in ESPN’s latest two-round projections

The Chargers upgrade the front seven with these two selections.

ESPN’s Matt Miller released his latest two-round mock draft, and he sees the Chargers addressing the defensive side of the football.

With their first-round selection, Miller pegged Georgia edge defender Nolan Smith to Los Angeles.

The Chargers have multiple options here, but the front seven is a big problem. L.A. allowed 5.9 yards per play (29th). A torn pectoral muscle in late October ended Smith’s season, but the 6-3 senior posted 11.5 sacks in his career while, like most Georgia defenders, working in a heavy rotation. He is a versatile linebacker who is comfortable standing up or playing with his hand down and has the first-step quickness to stun blockers while also being agile enough to play in space as an off-ball linebacker. That’s perfect for the Chargers’ base 3-4 scheme and today’s NFL.

The Chargers need to upgrade the edge defender group, as they were not getting pass rush production when Joey Bosa missed most of the season, and Khalil Mack is not getting any younger.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, Smith is on the smaller side, but his play overshadows the measurables. He is an explosive athlete with top-tier strength and speed for his size and is proven at getting after the quarterback just as much as he is at defending the run.

Smith has the tools to become an elite defender in the NFL over time.

With their second-round selection, Miller gave the Chargers Baylor defensive tackle Siaki Ika.

Los Angeles went edge rusher in Round 1 and tries to fix the run defense with Ika — the draft’s best nose tackle — here. He is massive (6-4 and 358 pounds) and fits the modern nose tackle projection with his size, power, length and surprising quickness when allowed to rush the passer. The Chargers gave up 5.4 yards per rush last season, by far the worst in the NFL.

I believe this is a bit rich to be taking a defensive tackle. While the Chargers finished near the bottom of the league in run defense, their issues stemmed from the outside, where they struggled to have edges set and tackle in open space.

Los Angeles addressed the position last offseason with Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, and Otito Ogbonnia. Johnson and Ogbonnia were solid against the run before sustaining season-ending injuries. And Breiden Fehoko proved to be reliable upon stepping in.

Texans Wire 3-round mock draft 2.0: Houston takes Georgia’s Nolan Smith

The Houston Texans grab Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith to help with the pass rush in @johnhcrumpler’s Texans Wire mock draft 2.0.

The Houston Texans finalized their hire of former team captain DeMeco Ryans as the sixth coach in franchise history.

Ryans arrival not only brings in the PFWA Assistant Coach of the Year but also marks a transition point in the Texans rebuild where there appears to be genuine faith, both locally and nationally, that Houston will be ready to play meaningful football soon. The team has 12 draft picks, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the most in the draft, and $37.1 million in salary cap space, the fourth-most in the NFL. There are plenty of resources to help Ryans improve what was one of the league’s worst rosters in 2022.

How might the decision to hire Ryans effect Houston’s future draft plans? In this mock Houston has already spent big money in free agency to address their needs at interior defensive and interior offensive line. Will Nick Caserio remain aggressive in the draft as he was in 2021 and 2022 with trades? Here’s a 2023 mock draft that showcases how the franchise may act with the general manager truly working equally with his coach for the first time.

Seahawks 2023 NFL mock draft: The all-linemen edition

In order to catch up with the Niners Seattle has to get bigger, meaner and better on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

“Men win wars. Not magic tricks.”

Bronn’s point applies to modern football as well as the Game of Thrones. Specifically, the men who determine who wins and who loses are the very large ones in the trenches who often get overlooked despite their size. Even the cleverest offensive playcallers and most talented quarterbacks find it difficult to overcome a ragged offensive line. On defense, no amount of manufactured pressure can best having multiple pass rush threats and stopping the run can be pretty close to impossible without the right pieces.

The Seahawks can attest to all of that, coming off a season where they exceeded expectations but hit a hard and painful ceiling whenever they faced opponents with superior offensive and defensive line units. Back-to-back losses against the Super Bowl contender Chiefs and 49ers illustrated that much, as did the season-ending loss to San Francisco.

In order to catch up with the Niners – who are making their third NFC Championship appearance in four years this weekend – Seattle has to get bigger, meaner and better on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

With that in mind, we went into our latest 2023 seven-round mock draft with a simple idea: all linemen, every pick. Observe.

2023 NFL draft: 10 early targets for Chargers with No. 21 overall selection

Keeping in mind their biggest areas of need, here are some of the top players the Chargers could target in the first round.

The Chargers will hold the No. 21 overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft.

Keeping in mind their biggest areas of need, here are some of the top prospects the Bolts could target in the first round.

Packers take another Georgia defender in first round of Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft

Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and…Nolan Smith? The Packers got Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith in Daniel Jeremiah’s first 2023 mock draft.

What are the chances of the Green Bay Packers selecting a defensive player from Georgia in the first round for the third consecutive NFL draft?

Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the 2023 cycle has the Packers taking Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith at No. 15 overall.

If selected by the Packers in April, Smith would follow in the footsteps of 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes and 2022 first-round picks Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt on the path from Athens to Green Bay.

“Smith had his season cut short by injury, but he’s shown enough promise in his career to warrant top-15 consideration. He has elite burst and change of direction. Expect him to garner some comparisons to Pro Bowler Haason Reddick,” Jeremiah wrote.

Smith produced 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles while playing on a star-studded Bulldogs defense.

It’s worth noting that Smith is coming off a torn pectoral muscle. The injury ended his senior season after eight games.

Smith currently ranks No. 9 on the big board at Pro Football Focus. His draft profile at PFF can be viewed here.

Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire noted his athleticism as a pass-rusher but also his lack of ideal size, which the Packers generally covet at edge rusher.

“Smith is an explosive edge rusher with the speed to win the corner,” Rupp said. “Although he’s undersized (235 pounds) he plays with surprising power. He holds his own against the run and is strong at the point of attack.
His weight may keep him off Green Bay’s board but never say never. By all accounts, he’s a high-character guy and he’d bolster Green Bay’s pass rush with his first step quickness.”

The Packers may see a long-term need at edge rusher considering the age and future of Preston Smith. Green Bay is also counting on Rashan Gary to come back from a major knee injury suffered in Week 9. Down the stretch in 2022, rookie Kingsley Enagbare started seven games opposite Smith at edge rusher.
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Rams select Georgia OLB Nolan Smith in Dane Brugler’s mock draft

In search of pass-rush help, the Rams find it in Round 2 of Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft for The Athletic.

One of the Rams’ primary positions of need this offseason is outside linebacker. Leonard Floyd is the only proven starter on the team and there’s a serious lack of talent at this position.

Fortunately, the Rams have the 36th overall pick in the draft and could find pass-rush help early in the second round.

Because Los Angeles is without a first-round pick again this year, the team hasn’t been included in many mock drafts. But both Luke Easterling of Draft Wire and Dane Brugler of The Athletic went two rounds deep and pegged the Rams to select the same player.

In Brugler’s second mock, he has the Rams taking Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith, the same player Easterling mocked to Los Angeles.

Smith is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, so he’s a bit undersized as a pass rusher, especially by the Rams’ standards. They typically prefer bigger edge rushers such as Floyd, Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins, who are all 6-foot-5. However, Smith fits well as a 3-4 edge rusher in the Rams’ scheme so his lack of size shouldn’t be a concern.

What is somewhat worrisome is the fact that he only had 12.5 sacks in four years at Georgia. He didn’t have the most productive career in college, which can be a sign of poor sack numbers at the pro level, but as a second-round prospect, the Rams should still be interested.

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