STRENGTHS
Nolan is a very athletic Edge Rusher. He has done a solid job at that position for his college team. He has quick feet and is very fast, faster than most receivers and cornerbacks in this draft. He has excellent size and overall athleticism to play more than one position in the front seven of a team’s defense. Nolan was not on many teams’ “Have to have him” radar until he hit the combine and worked out and showed everyone that maybe…just maybe he has been playing out of position for Georgia. It makes you wonder why?
CONCERNS
I think it’s a red flag when a player with this much athleticism, size, and flat-out speed is not playing off the line of scrimmage where a team can take full advantage of his God Given talents all over the field. Then he slipped up in an interview and suggested that he struggled to learn the concepts when playing off the ball. So, they put him on the line of scrimmage to make it easier for him to learn. I guess that’s why he plays with so much hesitation and not to his God Given Talent off the snap of the ball. He’s an honest person.
BOTTOM LINE: 2.33
There is no doubt that Nolan has been playing out of position. He is an off the line of scrimmage linebacker and he good be one of the best. When he drops in coverage you see the athleticism and it makes you drool with envy. I hope once he gets into the NFL and coaches spend time with Nolan that he will break out as a pure linebacker. He can become a good edge rusher but he has to start playing more to his talents and not thinking so much. His college coaches have set the base for Nolan and put him on the field and although Nolan still struggled to play up to his athletic talent at least he has learned. I don’t know how long it will be before Nolan can impact at a pure linebacker position, but I do understand that he should be worth the wait of his first contract to find out. BTW, don’t tell me workouts and the combine don’t matter. I don’t care how nice a kid Nolan is in interviews, until he worked out, no one thought of him as a potential 1st Round draft pick, no one.
