Getty Nick Sirianni made a point to personally thank as many Eagles fans as he could for flying out to Arizona.
Nolan Smith has only been in town for two months, but the freak pass rusher from Georgia is already the embodiment of the Philadelphia Eagles’ culture. He has talked the talk by making his uncensored intentions clear on what opposing quarterbacks can expect in 2023.
Now, Smith is walking the walk by putting in the work and putting all his insane athleticism on display. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound outside linebacker went through a grueling workout with Cincinnati Bengals stud rookie Myles Murphy at Pinnacle Performance in Atlanta. Murphy — an edge rusher out of Clemson thought to be high on the Eagles’ radar — went two picks ahead of Smith in the 2023 NFL draft.
Smith violently jabbed at the air, exploded off the weight rack, and tightened up his core in a viral video that had Eagles fans giddy. This was the latest offseason evidence of Smith’s impending greatness. He wowed at rookie minicamps and spring OTAs by flashing track speed and punishing dummy bags, then showed up at Von Miller’s pass-rushing summit to work on his patented “ghost move.”
There are NO off days for #Eagles Rookie Nolan Smith! (@SmithNoland2) 🦅🔥
Smith was in Marietta, GA working out with Bengals Rookie DE Myles Murphy.
Judging by Smith’s early body of work, it sure looks like the Eagles may have stolen another explosive defensive playmaker at the end of the first round. He is the complete package on the field, with a matching work ethic off the field.
When asked about goals for his rookie year, lining up alongside guys like Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, and Haason Reddick, the humble Smith didn’t want to get too specific: “The sky’s the limit always. I don’t want to set any goals or set anything, but just to be a group that works together and rushes as one unit.”
You could hear that pop from Nolan Smith hitting that bag.
Nick Sirianni Comments on First-Round Picks
Head coach Nick Sirianni was cautious not to overhype his talented first-round picks, but it’s clear he was impressed by what Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith have flashed at OTAs. The Georgia studs lived up to their high draft ranking at No. 9 and No. 30, respectively. It would be shocking not to see them get meaningful snaps this season.
“I think you just see their athletic ability and the drill work,” Sirianni told reporters on the final day of OTAs. “We’re doing a lot of 7-on-7, not team drills, but they’re getting a lot of individual work. So, you’re seeing the things that we saw, obviously, on tape of what they do well and the power, their athletic ability, their personalities.”
Sirianni continued: “You’re seeing that every day in drills, so it’s not the same type of measuring stick that you get from maybe a skill guy who is getting some team periods with the 7-on-7, but you’re seeing the development in the skill and you’re seeing their skill in the individual periods with Coach Rocker and Coach Wash [Jeremiah Washburn].”
Bringing Brandon Graham’s ‘Happy Juice’
Smith had one of the best quotes of the offseason when he compared his brand of energy to what Brandon Graham does best. His motor never stops running on the field and, despite the wide smile on his face, Smith likes to talk a little trash here and there. Those two should be fun to watch in 2023.
“Being around BG, you know, that energy that he brings man, he just always got a smile and stuff like that,” Smith told Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast. “I mean, everybody brings their own energy in certain ways. I would say me and BG got the same kind of motor, though, like we run off the same type of happy juice, energy type.”
Nolan Smith (@SmithNoland2 ) says he and Brandon Graham have similar energy, “run off the same type of happy juice”
Via @greenlight