Strong NFL combine performances only further illustrate what Georgia football must replace at outside linebacker

Normally, we’d be talking a lot more about Robert Beal’s performance at the NFL combine. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, third best among his position group. That was third best among those in his position group. He added a 10-foot-3 broad jump as well.

It was a strong showing for the Georgia outside linebacker, one that will very likely lead to his name being called on draft day. It just so happened to be outdone by Georgia’s other NFL-bound outside linebacker, Nolan Smith. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and was one of the biggest winners of the NFL combine.

“He was elite in each one,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and put up a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump. At 238 pounds, he is now the second-heaviest player to run a sub-4.4 40 and have a 40-plus-inch vertical jump at the combine since 2006 (Vernon Davis is the other). Those are unreal numbers for an outside linebacker.”

The strong showings by Beal and Smith help further enforce what Georgia is losing at the outside linebacker position entering the 2023 season.

Smith and Beal had played a ton of football for Georgia, with Beal signing in the 2017 recruiting class and Smith being the No. 1 overall player in the 2019 cycle. They each had sacks in the 2022 National Championship Game, a 33-18 win for the Bulldogs.

In addition to losing Smith and Beal, Georgia also saw MJ Sherman transfer to Nebraska. Only Chaz Chambliss has spent more than two seasons in the program.

Chambliss saw regular snaps after Smith’s season came to an end against Florida. In that sense, his injury proved to be a silver lining in that Georgia at least has one somewhat known entity at the position. Chambliss picked up sacks in the wins over Florida and LSU.

You can tell Georgia has been bracing for this day, as the Bulldogs signed three edge rushers in each of the previous two cycles. Marvin Jones Jr., Darris Smith and CJ Madden joined the program in 2022 while Damon Wilson, Samuel M’Pemba and Gabe Harris all enrolled this offseason. The latter three will all participate in spring practice.

Jones Jr. and Wilson were both 5-star prospects, while M’Pemba and Smith both have elite athleticism. Jones will miss spring practice with a shoulder injury while Smith played some at defensive back last season.

Georgia could also continue to use Jalon Walker as an outside linebacker, as it did at the end of 2022. As injuries mounted, Georgia felt comfortable moving Walker from inside linebacker to outside linebacker. The move proved to be fairly successful, with Walker creating constant pressure in the College Football Playoff wins over Ohio State and TCU. Walker picked up his first sack in the win over the Horned Frogs.

Georgia does bring back pretty much the entirety of its front seven, aside from Jalen Carter. Georgia will ask players like Nazir Stackhouse, Bear Alexander, Mykel Williams and Jamon Dumas-Johnson to create havoc in the front seven.

Smith spoke about who might replace him in the lineup next season and he pointed to Dumas-Johnson and Mondon. They’ll do so from a leadership standpoint.

As for replacing Smith at outside linebacker, consider the energetic former Bulldog eager to see who steps up.

“I can’t wait,” Smith said. “I’m excited to see those boys play. I’m going to be at the first game on the sideline. I’m not going to have the same role. I’m probably going to be in some jeans, laid back. I think 10 and two will really take that over.”

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