The names of the the draft prospects that have visited the Bucs for Top 30 visits continue to be made public. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reported that the Bucs hosted Georgia outside linebacker Nolan Smith on Monday. Smith ran a blazing 4.39 in the 40-yard dash (1.52 10-yard split) at the NFL Scouting Combine and impressed with a 41.5-inch vertical.

The Bucs have a need for another edge rusher with 30-year old Shaq Barrett coming off a torn Achilles tendon and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka yet to prove he’s worth the first-rounder the team invested in him in 2021 after back-to-back years with four sacks. Smith has been linked to the Bucs at No. 19 in several mock drafts this offseason, but he’s far from a perfect prospect despite his speed. That could be why Tampa Bay coaches and scouts want to have him in for a closer look.

Nolan Smith’s Lack Of Size, Lack Of Production Under Scrutiny By Bucs

Georgia OLB Nolan Smith – Photo by: USA Today

As Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo pointed out in a recent article, Smith is not only undersized at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds, he also wasn’t a very productive pass rusher at for the back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

Smith played four years at Georgia and enters the NFL following his senior year. For his career, he played 46 games, logging 114 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and an interception. His overall production appears scant for his tenure in college, but that was due largely to two factors.

First, Smith had the distinction and the misfortune of being a part of an incredibly deep Georgia pass rush. And head coach Kirby Smart leveraged that depth to the detriment of his players’ personal prospects. Smith had to share time over his collegiate career with former NFL outside linebacker D’Andre Walker and current outside linebackers Azeez Ojulari and Travon Walker.

The second factor is a torn pectoral muscle Smith suffered in Week 8 against Florida. The injury would put Smith on the shelf for the remainder of the year. These two factors limited Smith to just 1,154 defensive snaps and just 621 pass rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Smith becomes the fourth known Bucs draft prospect to have a Top 30 visit with the team. He joins the likes of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, Bowling Green defensive tackle Karl Brooks and Sacramento State defender Marte Mapu.

Smith is one of several outside linebackers that met formally with the Bucs at the NFL Scouting Combine, including Iowa State’s Will McDonald, Auburn’s Derick Hall, Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Missouri’s Isaiah McGuire.