Saints: Why Nolan Smith was never going to be picked by New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints have an undeniable way of doing things in their own style. Under this leadership and staff, they believe in their evaluation process when it comes to the NFL Draft. The Saints have requirements when it comes to size/physical traits, and they have a scheme on both sides of the ball that […]
The New Orleans Saints have an undeniable way of doing things in their own style. Under this leadership and staff, they believe in their evaluation process when it comes to the NFL Draft. The Saints have requirements when it comes to size/physical traits, and they have a scheme on both sides of the ball that they feel is the smartest route to take given their roster.
There was a fan favorite prospect that surprisingly fell all the way to the Saints selection at 29 in the first round. That was Georgia EDGE rusher Nolan Smith. He's an ultra-athletic outside force on the defensive line that brings energy and effort on defense.
That being said, the Saints were never going to select Smith for two major reasons.
Firstly, he didn't fit their requisites when it came to size. They have a prototype for their defensive line, and they don't step outside of that box.
Smith is 25-30 pounds lighter than the usual pass rusher that intrigues the Saints. New Orleans prefers defensive linemen with mass to play in their 4-3 defense. Smith projects to be a 3-4 edge rusher/linebacker hybrid at the NFL level.
Speaking of 4-3/3-4 scheme, that's the other reason that Smith probably wasn't high on the board of the Saints. Putting a player of his size as an edge rusher in a 4-3 just would not make sense. He would get washed out too often in the running game, and his pass rush upside would never be fulfilled.
Of course, fans don't love to hear this because some may believe that New Orleans could change their scheme in a simple manner. That's just not the case. They've built a defensive roster for many years to fit the 4-3 system, and it is a very good unit among others in the NFL.
Smith is an extremely talented defender, but the Saints were never going to target him in the first round.
