Georgia’s Nolan Smith Headlines Defense At 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
By Andrew Kim
Defensive Tackle
Calijah Kancey was the other star of the show. The Pitt defensive tackle made history, running a 4.67 40-yard dash, which is the fastest for a defensive tackle ever since 2003. This is only a second faster than Donald (who also shares a similar size to the redshirt junior as a former Pitt Panther). His arm length is an outlier, however, at 30 5/8″ arms. Kancey didn’t do some of the other testing drills so the comparisons are still far apart compared to what Donald did at the Scouting Combine or what we have on record so far (not even taking into account his play on the field).
At 6’1″ and 281 lbs., Kancey has the production to match as an undersized interior defensive lineman (with 16 sacks in three seasons). His other testing metric was top of the line as well, with his 10-yard split (top of the class at 1.64 seconds and top five all-time).
Jalen Carter (Georgia) was the debatable top defender in the draft before his legal situation (arrest warrant) popped up right before the Scouting Combine, so it will be interesting if he falls due to off-the-field concerns or not. Talent-wise, he is a top-ten pick in this draft so I don’t envision him sliding past the top five unless he doesn’t convince teams of his big off-field red flag.
Mazi Smith (Michigan) and Siaki Ika (Baylor) could be potential late day-one to early day-two picks if teams want the big interior nose tackles to help stop the run. The Michigan defensive tackle displayed his strength with the most reps on the bench press at 34 reps.
Jalen Redmond (Oklahoma), Zacch Pickens (South Carolina), Dante Stills (West Virginia), and Gervon Dexter Sr. (Florida) also stood out for their size/speed combo and their athletic testing results. Jaquelin Roy (LSU) didn’t run or do some of the other testing events but his strength showed with his bench (with 30 reps, second out of the defensive tackles).
Hunter Haas also scouted Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton at defensive tackle and edge rusher Nick Herbig. Both could be targeted on day two for teams looking for front-seven players with experience, production, and versatility.
Other than Nolan Smith, here are a few other notable pass rushers off the edge that made a splash on the first day of the Scouting Combine.