After 15 seasons and two Super Bowl titles, Brandon Graham officially retired from the NFL this offseason.
But his legacy lives on in Nolan Smith.
Smith, 24, thinks about Graham every day when he looks into the mirror at his house and sees the words “Be You” written down. A reminder of the most important bit of advice he got from his legendary former teammate, advice that helped him get through a slow start as a rookie back in 2023.
“It was just a learning year,” Smith said. “And, truly, a testament to Brandon Graham. You’re about to make me cry up here just because BG gave me so much just from the outside world putting so much pressure on me. ‘You’re a first-round pick, you need to do this, you need to do that.’ BG just told me, ‘Be you.’ And til this point that’s what I got on my mirror, my goals, be you.
“Nobody can make you be anything other than yourself and as long as you work and put in that dedication and that effort every day. And that’s why I work so hard. I just want to be me. And it’s not for me. It’s for B. It’s for B when he was doubted when he first got here and so was I. He just kept pushing me and he leaned into me. As we say in the south, he just poured into my glass just a little bit more. He just kept pouring into my glass and he believed in me.”
Everyone knows Graham’s story. How he was a first-round pick back in 2010 and had to work tirelessly to shed the “bust” label that was prematurely attached to his name as other options in his draft range found early success. Not only did Graham overcome all that early adversity but he did it with a smile. At his retirement press conference, Graham was flanked by both Lombardi Trophies.
Smith didn’t have quite as much to overcome in 2023. But after the Eagles drafted him with the No. 30 overall pick out of Georgia in 2023, Smith had a flashy training camp that didn’t translate into production as a rookie. He had just 1 sack in 17 games and played just 16% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps that first season.
But Year 2? Smith broke out in a big way.
He ended up being the Eagles’ best edge rusher for most of the season, compiling 10 1/2 sacks in the regular season and postseason. And after Graham’s retirement and Josh Sweat’s departure in free agency, Smith returns for Year 3 as the Eagles’ unquestioned No. 1 edge rusher.
What’s next for Smith?
“The next step in my game personally is just be that pass rusher and keep rushing. But be the ultimate player,” Smith said. “I talked to Coach Vic (Fangio) and he always told me play the game the right way. That’s what I always tell myself, ‘Play the game the right way.’ Because I gotta crush the run in order to rush the passer. When you play the game the right way, don’t chase sacks and don’t do none of that, be a football player, truly, everything else will take care of itself.”
Smith might be a tad undersized but he proved himself to be a complete player in 2024 — a guy who can do it all on the field and lead off it.
When asked about the extra focus on himself entering 2025, Smith said he embraces that challenge and thinks of it as an honor. Then he offered that he wants to remain coachable and soak up as much knowledge from Fangio as possible. Smith said he isn’t even sure if Fangio knows it, but said his DC has coached some of his favorite all-time players. One of them is future Hall of Famer Von Miller, who was a Pro Bowler under Fangio in 2019.
“It’s nothing for me to listen to him, to be coachable,” Smith said. “Like, are you crazy?”
While Smith tore his triceps in the Super Bowl LIX win, he’s already back on the practice field in a limited fashion and is hoping to begin “striking” with that surgically repaired left arm next week.
During the offseason when Smith would go to the NovaCare Complex for treatment, he would often call Graham and chat about everything. Smith still talks to Graham on the phone every day and it’s not like the Eagles’ legend isn’t around anymore.
Not long before Smith spoke to reporters on Tuesday, Graham was seen walking out of the building, still sporting his signature smile.
“You can’t fill nobody’s shoes,” Smith said. “I would never do that. BG’s like too great a Philly (legend) and the more I go on in Philly, the more that he does. You just can’t do that. I can just try my best to [emulate] that and just bring that energy every day like he does.”
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