Dawgs’ Smith, Vols’ Hooker bond before NFL draft

Former University of Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith could be viewed as the defensive version of former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker heading into Thursday’s start of the NFL draft, as both first-round projections had their final college seasons cut short due to injuries but have drawn rave reviews throughout the draft’s interview process.

Of course, the biggest difference was that Smith was able to participate at the NFL combine and ran the 40-yard dash in a scorching 4.39 seconds.

Smith, who was measured at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds in Indianapolis, had the opportunity to leave Georgia early after a 2021 season that contained 53 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He chose to return and had racked up seven sacks in eight games last year before suffering a torn pectoral muscle in late October during the 42-20 thumping of Florida in Jacksonville.

“I live life with no regret, and if I had the opportunity to do it again, I would do exactly what I did,” Smith said. “You just can’t live in the past. I made my decision, and I have lived with it. I’m happy I came back, because we won a second national championship.”

The Bulldogs set an NFL draft record last spring with five defensive players — linemen Travon Walker, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, linebacker Quay Walker and safety Lewis Cine — going in the first round. Smith was not a projected first-rounder last year, so his decision to return will benefit him financially.

In two mock drafts posted last week, Smith has been pegged by NFL.com to go eighth overall to the Atlanta Falcons and by Pro Football Focus to go 11th to the Tennessee Titans.

“He’s going to make an organization better, and he’s going to make a community better,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said earlier this month. “He’s a very bright individual, has a huge personality and is a hard worker. That’s why they draft guys like this in the first round. You look for the pitfalls, and with Nolan Smith, you’re not going to find many, because his character stands out.

“He’s fun to be around, and I already miss him. You would walk in the team meeting room, and he would be sitting up front smiling.”

Those comments by Smart could easily substitute the praise Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has for Hooker, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that those two players are already representing SIXSTAR Pro Nutrition, which helps connect athletes with philanthropy to help feed underprivileged communities.

Before Smith was the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the 2019 signing class out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, he was raised in Savannah, Georgia.

“Growing up, there were a lot of people in my neighborhood who had food insecurities,” Smith said. “When COVID happened, those insecurities went through the roof. Several people I knew had to turn to food banks and to different community programs to put food on their table. I was one of those kids who went to a free lunch, and it’s something you shouldn’t be ashamed of.

“I just wanted to help and let people know that it is a problem and to try to get people to eat.”