Philadelphia Eagles to sign Kobe Smith, per report: 3 Fun facts

The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t done adding talent to the interior of their defensive line yet. According to a report by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, they have their eye on defensive tackle Kobe Smith. He’s expected to be added to the training camp roster fairly soon.

A six-foot-two, 300-pounder formerly of the South Carolina Gamecocks, Smith joins the nest at a position that already features Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Milton Williams, and Jordan Davis, four Birds that we expect to make the team.

He was added to the Tennessee Titans’ roster as an undrafted rookie in 2020. He spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Second-year man Marlon Tuipulotu, undrafted rookie Noah Elliss, and veterans Marvin Wilson and Renell Wren are also a part of the defensive tackle competition. Joining the team this late in the process means that Smith has a huge hill to climb if he’s going to make the 53-man roster (or the practice squad), but he’s worthy of a mention as he has a lot of talent.

Here are three fun facts about the Philadelphia Eagles’ new defensive tackle.

We could talk about this young man all day. Here are a couple of quick hitters to keep you occupied.

1. Noah Smith was among the nation’s 40 top-ranked DT prospects coming out of high school.

Noah Smith enrolled at South Carolina a semester early in 2016 after being named among the nation’s top-40 defensive tackle prospects following an impressive prep career at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. It didn’t take Gamecocks long to figure out how tough and talented he is.

2. If you love brains you’re going to love Noah Smith.

There’s an old saying… “last in and first out”. In other words, you wouldn’t be alone if you subscribed to any theories about there being a high chance of Smith being among the first cuts because he was among the later roster additions.

He most certainly enters camp as a longshot being so far behind his teammates, but he’s proven to be a quick study before. During his time at South Carolina, he impressed in the classroom just as often as he impressed on the gridiron.

In 2017, he earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. Another mention on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Rolland the Harold White GPA Award (Defense) came a year later in 2018.

3. The on-field resume definitely has to be mentioned.

Noah Smith was dealt adversity early in his NCAA career, or so we thought. Following his early enrollment, he was forced to undergo shoulder surgery, but that didn’t prevent him from practicing in the spring. He saw the field early as a true freshman in 2016, playing in 11 games and notching four tackles before serving in a reserve role as a sophomore.

He became a part-time starter as a junior in 2018 before starting all 11 games as a senior. In total, he appeared in 48 games and made 17 starts. That resulted in 84 tackles including seven that resulted in a loss of yardage to go along with two sacks and seven additional quarterback hurries. He also won a Super Bowl ring as part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad in 2020.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein graded him at 5.60, meaning he’s a “candidate for the bottom of the roster or the practice squad”. Keep an eye on him. The Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive tackle position should be an entertaining watch throughout the preseason.