Tag: Nolan Smith

Texans take Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud, Georgia DE Nolan Smith in Draft Wire mock

The Houston Texans fix their passing game and pass rush in Round 1 of the latest Draft Wire 2023 mock.

Draft season is continuous so long as the Houston Texans have two first-round picks, the spoils of trading the 2020 NFL passing champion to the Cleveland Browns.

If Davis Mills isn’t the answer at quarterback, the Texans have draft capital to solve the problem. If Mills needs more reinforcements, general manager Nick Caserio can allocate resources to get what is needed for his quarterback to be successful.

According to Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, who released another early mock draft, the Texans give up on the Mills experiment with the selection of Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. If the Texans are picking No. 1 overall with their proprietary selection, as they are in the Draft Wire mock, then one would have to presume Mills wasn’t the answer.

Stroud has all the tools to be a franchise quarterback, and next year’s No. 1 overall pick.

With the Texans fixing their quarterback situation, they turn their attention to getting after opposing signal callers with the selection of Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith at No. 23 overall in Round 1.

Lovie Smith’s defense relies on consistent pressure from the front four, and he still doesn’t have an impact edge rusher who can get after opposing quarterbacks. Smith has all the talent to be the next dominant player at the position to coming out of Athens.

Adding an edge rusher in Round 1 also helps the Texans evaluate what to do with defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who will be entering the final year of his contract in 2023. If the Texans like the progression from Greenard, then maybe Houston backs away from edge rusher as the former 2020 third-round pick from Florida has grown into the role. If Houston believes they need a dominant edge rusher, then they may use a first-round pick on the position while allowing Greenard to finish out his rookie deal.

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Eagles reload at key positions in early 2023 NFL mock drafts

Philadelphia Eagles reload at key positions in early 2023 NFL mock drafts

During the 2021 NFL offseason, Howie Roseman was able to trade Carson Wentz and land a pre-draft deal with the Dolphins, resulting in three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, and after listening to his combine and owners meeting press conferences, the writing was on the wall for more big trades. 

The Eagles are technically still in the midst of a rebuild and although they made the postseason, the 2021 campaign was still supposed to be about seeing what they had at quarterback and other key positions.

The lack of star power at quarterback is giving Hurts another year as the starter, but the pressure will continue to build after Roseman moved one of his coveted 2022 assets in hopes of even more assets for 2023.

After swapping picks with the Saints, Roseman could still have dreams of a once-in-a-lifetime pass rusher, and the 2023 draft could offer at minimum, seven quarterbacks for Philadelphia and other teams to start targeting.

If Philadelphia dreams of an all-world running back or stud wide receiver, an extra first-round pick would be gold.

It’s never too early for mock drafts and we’ve rounded up some of the early 2023 projections and the Eagles once again reload in a big way.

Where are Georgia Bulldogs ranked for the 2023 NFL draft?

Georgia is having a historic 2022 NFL draft. UGA also has a lot of talent eligible for the 2023 draft.

The University of Georgia is in the midst a historic, record-breaking 2022 NFL draft, that saw the Bulldogs break a program-record for players taken.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs don’t rebuild though; the Dawgs reload. Georgia has an immense amount of NFL talent on its roster.

Georgia should have a lot of players selected early in the 2023 NFL draft. The 2023 NFL draft class features some impressive quarterbacks like Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Additionally, Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is expected to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.

Player rankings rise and fall throughout the college football season and new stars emerge, but oftentimes a way-too-early NFL draft prediction is not terribly inaccurate.

Where are Georgia Bulldogs ranked for the 2023 NFL draft? There are seven UGA players ranked in the top 100.

5 players to watch in Georgia football’s spring game

Georgia football is back for the April 16 spring game. Who are five players to watch in G-Day?

Georgia football is back for the April 16 spring game. Sanford Stadium will be packed with fans wearing red and black once again.

It will be the Bulldogs’ first time in front of home fans, for a game or scrimmage, since winning the national championship game against Alabama. Kirby Smart has built an exciting team for the 2022 season, but the Dawgs are currently battling a lot of injuries. Key players like Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington, Rian Davis, and more are expected to miss the scrimmage.

The game is at 1:00 p.m. EDT and will be televised on ESPN2. It will be the last open look many fans will have of the team before Georgia opens the season against Oregon on Sept. 3 in Atlanta.

Here are five players and position battles to watch in the Georgia 2022 spring football game:

Nine Georgia Bulldogs go in first three rounds of 2022 NFL mock draft

Georgia has NINE guys go in the first three rounds of this mock draft

Georgia set a school record in the 2021 NFL draft when it had nine players selected.

This year, Georgia is looking to shatter that number with potentially as many as 15 players selected.

USA TODAY’s Draft Wire expects Georgia to actually hit last year’s mark by the end of the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Well, actually Johnson finished the season with 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 70 total tackles and two pass deflections. The former Georgia linebacker wanted to (and did) strengthen his NFL draft stock at FSU. Johnson saw much more playing time for the Seminoles and proved to be an every down player.the site expected Georgia to have 10 players drafted when it projected outside linebacker Nolan Smith to go No. 91 to the Rams. But Smith has since announced his plans to forgo the 2022 draft and play one more year at UGA.

Here’s Draft Wire’s 2022 three-round NFL mock draft, which includes nine Bulldogs and one former Bulldog.

Georgia LB Nolan Smith makes decision on NFL draft

Georgia LB Nolan Smith has made his decision…

Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith announced on Monday that he will be coming back to Athens to play one more year for the Georgia Bulldogs.

“What a ride it has been during my Junior season. I feel I’ve grown tremendously during my time at Georgia thus far, as both a football player and as a man. I can’t express what it meant to me to bring a national championship home to Georgia. after careful consideration, I have decided to return to Georgia for my senior season and continue with what we have been building. Let’s run this thing back! Go Dawgs!”

Tons of stars from Georgia’s national championship-winning team have announced they are moving on and entering the NFL draft, but Smith, who projected as a second or third round pick, decided to stick it out one more year and improve his draft stock before making the next step.

Smith came to Georgia as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit out of IMG Academy in the class of 2019 and will be Georgia’s leading returning tackler from the 2021 season. He recorded 55 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and closed out the 2021-22 season with a sack of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young on the final play of the game.

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Georgia football OLB Nolan Smith is returning

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith is returning for his senior season!

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith is returning for his senior season. Smith’s return is huge for the Georgia defense. Now, the Bulldogs will have a top pass rusher with several years of experience.

Nolan Smith has played in 38 career games. Smith has 8.5 sacks in his three year career with the Bulldogs. He recorded 3.5 sacks, 56 tackles, one interception, and three forced fumbles in 2021.

Smith will be a leader on Georgia’s defense in 2022. Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star recruit. He was the nation’s top prospect in the class of 2019 according to various recruiting sites.

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nolan Smith records a sack in the college football national championship game. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Smith played both defensive line and running back in high school. The Savannah, Georgia, product transferred to IMG Academy for his senior high school season.

The former five-star recruit is projected to start at outside linebacker for the Dawgs in 2022. Five-star outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. is expected to see immediate playing time as a freshman in 2022.

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5 Bulldogs to watch in the CFP national championship

5 Bulldogs Tide fans should watch in the CFP national championship!

When Alabama and Georgia face off on Jan. 10 in the CFP national championship, there will be as much NFL talent collectively on the field as a college football game could possibly have.

Both the Tide and Bulldogs are littered with future next-level stars and the SEC title game rematch is destined to be one to remember.

Alabama dominated Georiga a month ago in Atlanta 41-24. Bryce Young picked apart the Bulldog secondary and the Tide defense made the plays when they needed to, including a Jordan Battle pick-six to seal the victory.

The Bulldogs are fired up for the rematch and Alabama is focused on winning back-to-back titles for the first time in playoff history.

Before the two titans of college football clash, let’s take a look at five of the Georgia Bulldogs that Alabama fans should look for in the contest.

WATCH: Georgia LB Nolan Smith says he asked Mel Tucker for tips on beating Michigan

WATCH: Georgia LB Nolan Smith says he asked Mel Tucker for tips on beating Michigan

Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker has had Michigan’s number since taking over as head coach of the Spartans, going 2-0 in that span.

Georgia, a school Tucker used to coach at, will be facing Michigan in the College Football Playoff next week, so it makes sense that one of Georgia’s players would reach out to Tucker to learn some of his secrets about beating Michigan, and that’s exactly what Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith said he did.

Watch him tell the story below:

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Absolutely wild ending to first half results in 3 Georgia TDs

Absolutely wild ending to the first half

Wow, what a final few minutes of the first half from Jacksonville.

Georgia scored 21 points in the last 2:09 of the half.

First, with UGA leading 3-0, Stetson Bennett threw an interception and Florida took over at the Gators two yard line.

Then, Nolan Smith ripped the ball right from Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson’s hands. Georgia took over at the Florida 11 after this one.

Then, James Cook scored from 11 yards out to put Georgia up 10-0.

You think we’re done yet? Nope!

Next up, Nakobe Dean applied pressure, Travon Walker tipped the ball and Nolan Smith made yet another turnover, picking off the pass.

Then it was Stetson Bennett and Kearis Jackson’s turn. 36 yards and Georgia took a 17-0 lead.

But wait, there’s more!!!

Next up, Nakobe Dean showed why he’s one of the best in the nation with his pick-six to close out the first half.

Georgia took a 24-0 lead going into the half.