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Jul 23, 2023

The one thing Eagles rookie Nolan Smith got totally wrong about the NFL

The one thing Eagles rookie Nolan Smith got totally wrong about the NFL originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia Nolan Smith heard the horror stories. About NFL veterans who had no interest in

The one thing Eagles rookie Nolan Smith got totally wrong about the NFL originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Nolan Smith heard the horror stories. About NFL veterans who had no interest in helping rookies. Older guys who were just out for themselves.

He was braced for it.

What he discovered when he arrived in Philly was the opposite.

“That was one thing that I was afraid about in the NFL,” Smith said Sunday. “They say certain guys don't try to help you. But, man, we don't have that here at the Eagles. And it's just really everybody pulling in the same direction.”

Smith, the Eagles’ rookie from Georgia, said he learned pretty quickly back in the spring that the veteran edge rushers – Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, Derrick Barnett – were all here to help. And so were the offensive linemen. So was everybody.

If he didn’t understand something? They were there for him. If he had a bad practice rep? They were there to show him what he did wrong.

That’s what being a team is all about.

“Man, the first day, they came up to me and I told them, ‘I don't know nothing, I'm here to learn,’ and they said, ‘Man, we’re here to give you whatever you (need),'" Smith said.

"Like me and Sweat got different body types and I just learn a lot from his criteria and his tool bag. That's what we call it, a little tool bag. So mostly I look in everybody’s tool bag and they open it and say, ‘Oh, this is what I do on this move,' and this and that. So, man, it's just amazing.”

Veterans helping rookies has been a big part of Eagles culture since guys like Graham, Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce started out here.

It’s a big part of winning.

With Reddick out or limited the first few days of training camp, Smith has been getting plenty of 1st-team reps on the left side, and that means working against all-pro right tackle Lane Johnson.

“Lane is amazing,” Smith said. “I'm learning more about myself and he teaches me stuff day by day. Even after he beat me on a ton of reps, he’s still going to come over and tell me how I can get better and what things I can do different.

“Our vets are showing us nothing but love because the ultimate goal is to help us win. And that's what Lane is teaching me. And I didn't expect that. You know, the first couple of reps when he beat me and then he came up after the reps and said, ‘Try this, this, this, this and that.’ It’s helping me.”

If you’re a 10-year vet, all you want to see from a young 1st-round pick is work ethic. A desire to get better. A team-first attitude.

All of that applies to Smith.

“He’s quick,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to be patient with him. He’s a great athlete. But what I really like about Nolan in the little time that I’ve known him is that he works hard and he’s always positive.

“He kind of has that B.G. attitude. He never has a bad day. I think he’ll learn a lot from Haason and Sweat, I think he’s been great so far.”

Smith said his goals for the season don’t involve sacks or playing time but just continuing to learn as much as he can.

“That's my goal, take as much of the game as possible that they can leave me so I can elevate myself every day,” he said.

“They give me so much advice as far as my stance, my hands and different things that I can do and different moves that they use. … Man, those guys, they’re amazing. We’ve got great vets on our team."

Graham talks all the time about how guys like Trent Cole and Juqua Parker helped him as a young player, and he’s happy to pass that knowledge along to anyone who’ll listen.

“I told him, ‘Be you, baby,’” Graham said. “At the end of the day, I just love that he’s coming in with a worker’s mentality and wants to learn. He tells me some things he knows, and he’s willing to learn and willing to soak in all the stuff that we’re trying to teach him.”

The talent on this defensive line is insane.

They lost Javon Hargrave but gained Jalen Carter and Smith … and potentially Barnett. But it’s not the talent that’s impressed Smith the most.

“It’s knowledge,” he said. “That's something that you can’t buy, something you can't get. Fletch, B.G., D.B.. the guys up front, Haason.

“You can't you can't trade that knowledge for nothing.”