PHILADELPHIA -- Nolan Smith knew he could play in this league. The Philadelphia Eagles did too, even if the results didn't show immediately.
Mired in a lost rookie season where Smith couldn't get on the field, even with the pass rush struggling toward the end of the 2023 collapse, the Eagles pass rusher kept things in perspective. His life could have gone in another direction, way different than football.
"I'm supposed to be on a port, I'm supposed to be on the graveyard shift right now, anchoring down boats," Smith said. "So I go out there and I just want to make my momma proud and the 10 guys next to me proud.
"When they turn on the film they know 3 is gonna be flying to the ball."
In just one year's time, Smith was the tone-setter for the Eagles defense in Sunday's playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers. He finished with two sacks, five pressures, two quarterback hits and a 16.7% pressure rate. The guy who couldn't get on the field a year ago leads the Eagles with 8.5 sacks this season (including postseason).
Over the last four games he played, Smith has 17 pressures and four sacks with a pressure rate of 15.9%. He's slowly becoming the Eagles' best pass rusher on the edge, right when the team needed him most.
"Nolan has just continued to get better," said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. " His teammates love him. He plays hard as I've ever seen anybody play, and this dude is a physical, physical, physical guy."
Smith didn't exactly have immediate success in the NFL, despite being the No. 30 overall pick. He struggled to get on the field, having just nine pressures and 1.5 sacks in 198 snaps. The Eagles admitted Smith should have been on the field more last season, and are now seeing the fruits of their labor.
"I think it shows you and everybody patience," Sirianni said. "Guys might not come in and just be world beaters, even though they were ones in college. They might not be world beaters right away. It takes some time to do it.
"We've seen Nolan grow into this player with the things he was able to do today to help us win a playoff football game. I can't say enough about Nolan. I could go on all day about that."
Smith isn't satisfied with his turnaround. There's more to accomplish and room for improvement.
He's come a long way since his rookie season, even the first four games of this year when he had just three pressures prior to the bye week.
"It's just growth, a growth mindset. I can always get better," Smith said. "There are some things I wish I would've did better tonight, so it's a growth mindset."
