There’s been a lot of debate and consternation among New Orleans Saints fans after their team passed on former Georgia Bulldogs pass rusher Nolan Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, but it’s something they should have seen coming. Between the Saints’ stubbornness in sticking to athletic prototypes and a poor system fit, Smith was not and never would have been seriously considered by New Orleans.
From the Saints’ perspective, Smith is about 30 pounds underweight to play defensive end for them. And he isn’t experienced in dropping into coverage, having done so on just 135 or so snaps in college — his role in the Georgia defense was to rush the quarterback, not cover receivers (he produced 11.5 sacks in 46 games, 23 of them starts). They would have tried to convert him to an off-ball linebacker role, which would probably have been just as frustrating for Smith as it’s been for Zack Baun.
Sure, Kaden Elliss did it well last season, but that’s after he spent three years practicing for it and toiling on the special teams units before getting that opportunity. A similar path for Smith as a first-round pick would have been wildly disappointing even if it had eventually worked out.
It’s frustrating that the Saints often bypass good football players like Smith because of their belief in Dennis Allen’s system, but it is what it is. So long as he’s head coach and the Saints are running his defense, this is going to happen. They have a very rigid philosophy in who they target in the draft and put on the field during games.
And Allen was adamant on the success of that strategy when asked about it at spring owners meetings, telling NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill that the defense has thrived: “I think it’s a big man’s game. And so, we like size and we like length, and it’s been successful for us. Really, honestly, both in the run game and in the pass game. I think since 2017 we’re top-five in run defense and top-five in sacking the quarterback. And top-five is a little generous, we’re closer to two or three in there.”
So now Smith is joining a small crowd of his old Georgia teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles, along with defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis as well as linebacker Nakobe Dean. And Saints fans are frustrated. But the Saints have been very clear in showing us who and what they value, and at the end of the day, Smith’s name was never even discussed when they were on the clock, and he was never going to be an option for them.
