Bucs Gameday

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Bring in Top Edge Rusher for Top 30 Visit

There's no doubt that the Buccaneers would benefit from adding a top-tier pass rusher in this month's NFL draft. Could Georgia's Nolan Smith be that player?

Collin Haalboom

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Despite playing a limited number of snaps for the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, Nolan Smith remains an intriguing NFL prospect.

It's no secret that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a team that is in desperate need of a more prolific pass rush. Which is why it makes plenty of sense that the Buccaneers would choose to bring Smith in for one of their top 30 visits.

Whether or not Smith would even be available at 19 is unclear. 

Nolan Smith is not your typical first-round edge rushing prospect simply because of his size. At 6'2", 238 pounds there's no question that Smith is undersized when compared to the ideal physical prototype for the position. To complicate matters further, despite spending four years in Athens, he only played in 46 games at the collegiate level. As a senior this past season, Smith missed almost half the season due to a torn pectoral suffered in the team's Week 8 game vs. the Florida Gators.

READ MORE: Former 7-Time Pro Bowl Bucs Wide Receiver Suggested to Land with Patriots 

Smith's greatest attribute is his speed. It's part of what made him such a high-profile prospect coming out of high school, and something that allowed him to become a team leader, and beloved teammate, on a Georgia team that was flush with future NFL stars on the defensive side of the ball. 

In addition to his raw speed, Smith is a twitched-up athlete with a great bend. He knows how to convert his speed to power, and has a surprising amount of strength considering his modest size. His versatility is predicated on his ability to function as a stand-up outside linebacker, in addition to playing with his hand in the dirt along the line of scrimmage. 

With Shaq Barrett working his way back from a torn achilles, and third-year pass rusher, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka still developing as a player, adding another top-end edge rushing prospect to the Bucs' arsenal of pass rushers would make a ton of sense. 

By all accounts, Nolan Smith is a strong leader, a great teammate, and the type of athlete who could be more successful in the NFL than he was in college. If his size and lack of production in college scare away teams in the top half of the first round in this month's NFL draft, he could end up being a valuable addition for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

READ MORE: Buccaneers Select Top Running Back Prospect in ESPN's Latest 1st Round Mock Draft

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.