AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.
Chiefs select Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith (TRADE).
Trade terms: Chiefs trade pick Round 1, No. 31 + 2024 Round 3 + Round 4, No. 134 (Approx. 257 value) to Minnesota for Round 1, pick No. 23 + 2024 Round 5 (Approx. 257 value).
In the 10 simulations that I ran for Round 1, Smith only made it past pick No. 23 twice and only went before pick No. 23 twice. That let me know, if I wanted this player, I had to move up with Minnesota. I figure they’re a team that would happily stockpile some picks as they seem to be retooling their roster with a new regime. Adding a third-rounder in 2024 might be appealing given that they might be hunting for a new quarterback next year.
Maybe I’m reading too much into the fact that the Chiefs sent their defensive line coach to the Georgia pro day and he ran their defensive line drills. Some people expect that it was to learn more about Jalen Carter after his fall from grace. Let’s remember that Kansas City also had a formal with Smith at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
The Chiefs are lacking an alpha type in the edge rushing department now that Frank Clark has gone. There’s no doubt in my mind that Smith can be just that for Kansas City. Would he actually be available at this spot for the Chiefs, though?
While Smith absolutely crushed the combine, he’s got an injury history that could scare away some NFL teams. In 2021, he missed one game with an elbow injury. This past season, Smith only appeared in nine games after tearing his pec. There’s also the issue of production. He has just 12.5 sacks over four seasons at Georgia with no more than 3.5 in a single year. There is a lot of projection here and that’s something that sometimes scares away NFL teams, no matter how exciting the athlete is. The Chiefs, fresh off a Super Bowl win, can afford to take a risk here.
