Todd McShay Tabs Nolan Smith as 'Biggest Riser' After the Combine

NFL draft analyst says that former Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith is his "biggest riser" following the NFL combine.

There was a lot of money made this past weekend for a lot of NFL draft prospects for this year's class, but arguably no athlete made more money than former Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith did. After testing off the charts at the combine this past week, Smith is soaring up the draft boards. 

After suffering a pectoral injury during the 2022 season, Smith had to miss the last half of the season with the Bulldogs, and his draft stock took a hit as a result. However, after a strong impression in Indianapolis, Smith is back on the rise and might have solidified himself as a first-round pick. At least that's how draft analyst Todd McShay feels about the Georgia prospect. 

Mock drafts don't seem to really mean all that much until prospects are measured in and tested at the combine, and now with that whole process complete, we now have a better idea of where players rank amongst the rest of the pack. As for Smith, McShay has him as "the biggest riser" following the combine. 

Here is what McShay had to say about the former Bulldog in his latest mock draft:

“Here's my biggest riser of the combine. I had Smith up at No. 5 in my preseason rankings, but I dropped him quite a bit after a torn pectoral muscle limited him to eight games and three sacks in 2022. He's back up to No. 10 overall, though. At 238 pounds, he busted out a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, 41.5 inches in the vertical jump and 10-foot-8 in the broad. That's ridiculous. I love Smith's closing burst to the QB and the way he can create havoc in the backfield as a run defender. If he works on his pass-rush moves and the way he formulates a plan on every snap, he could be a problem off the edge for opposing offensive coordinators.”

McShay had Smith as the first Bulldog off the board and going 8th overall to the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia players made it a trend to have their names surge up the draft rankings after strong performances at the combine, and Smith is the latest example of it. 

It is also worth noting that McShay had defensive lineman Jalen Carter going 12th to the Houston Texans and offensive lineman Broderick Jones at 13th to the New York Jets. Those were the only former Georgia players that the senior ESPN writer had listed in his updated first-round mock draft. However, other mock drafts have had Darnell Washington and Kelee Ringo going in the first round as well. 

Other Georgia News:

• Stetson Bennett Likely to Break a Georgia QB Trend on Draft Night
• Luke Bryan Gets Contestant to say "Go Dawgs" on American Idol
• Several Bulldogs Rise in Latest NFL Mock Draft

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