Georgia defender Nolan Smith surprised as he told reporters he would be working out this year’s NFL combine. Here’s his 40 yard dash time.
Nolan Smith : 40 yard dash | NFL combine | Salary
Smith played for IMG Academy in high school but also attended Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia.
Over the course of two years Smith played in 15 games totaling 88 tackles, 10.5 sacks, an interception, and he forced fumble.
Nolan was rated as the number one player in the country and 20th best all-time by 247Sports.com and his comparison was Pro Bowl pass rusher Khalil Mack.
As a senior he was named to the USA Today All-USA high school football team and a first-team All-American by MaxPreps. Smith signed to play college football for the University of Georgia.
Nolan Smith 40 yard dash
The first day of on-field drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine has arrived, and we have our first star of this year’s event.
Georgia edge defender Nolan Smith missed most of the 2022 season due to injury, but he made up for lost time with a stellar performance Thursday.
Smith ran an official 4.39 40-yard dash, the second-fastest combine mark by a defensive end since 2003. Only Smith and Amare Barno (2022) have ever come in under 4.40 at the position.
Amazingly, that wasn’t good enough for Smith. When he was unofficially clocked at 4.44, he threw his phone in frustration and told NFL Network he had been aiming for the 4.3 range. Smith is likely happier with his official number.
NFL Network was able to capture just how special Smith’s speed was, overlaying his 40-yard dash with the combine dashes of Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins. Smith makes the pair of all-pro receivers look a step too slow in comparison.
Smith didn’t stop at the 40-yard dash, though. His 1.52 10-yard split set an NFL Combine record for an edge rusher, and his 41.5-inch vertical jump was a full 3.5 inches above the next-best mark by any player on Thursday.
Smith measured in at just 6-foot-2 at the combine. For comparison, 6-foot-5 defensive end Lukas Van Ness had a 31-inch vertical jump – more than 10 inches less than Smith.
Nolan Smith NFL combine
One day after tearing up at the podium, edge rusher Nolan Smith turned heads on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf on Thursday.
The former Georgia star ran the fastest 40-yard dash by a defensive lineman, clocking 4.39 seconds.
It was tied for the best of the day with linebacker Owen Pappoe, of Auburn, and was the second-fastest time from an edge rusher since 2003.
Amare Barno, of Virginia Tech, ran a 4.36 at last year’s NFL scouting combine. Ten players on the first day of workouts posted times under 4.5.
Linebackers and defensive linemen were the only players to do on-field drills Thursday and will finish their week with Friday’s bench press as defensive backs and special teamers take the field.
Smith, who checked in at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, was the star attraction.
He and Pappoe also shared top honors in the split (1.52 seconds) and Smith’s 41 1/2-inch vertical also was the best of the day — three inches ahead of linebacker Anfernee Orji, of Vanderbilt, and 3 1/2 inches ahead of the next closest defensive lineman.
Even when Smith wasn’t the leader, he was close. His 10 foot, 8-inch broad jump was tied for fourth on the day.
Smith’s college teammate, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, was back in Indianapolis after turning himself in to law enforcement for charges related to the fatal crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member in January.
Smith was emotional Wednesday in his first public comments since Willock was died.
Salary
Nolan Smith earn $400,000 as base salary according to his signed offer letter, acquired by the Courier-Journal via open records request.
In addition, Smith will receive a $500 monthly stipend for a car.
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