INDIANAPOLIS - It took exactly one day of drills for a Georgia player to become the talk of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Again.

Nolan Smith stole the show on Thursday, excelling in multiple events at Lucas Oil Stadium. After missing the final seven games of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury, Smith showed teams why he could be worth a first-round pick.

The highlight came in the 40-yard dash. Smith clocked an official 4.39-second time, a blazing speed considering he checked in at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds.

That time is the second-fastest by a defensive lineman since 2003. It's faster than NFL stars such as Saquon Barkley, Stefon Diggs, and DeAndre Hopkins.

And yet, after originally seeing a time of 4.44 seconds, Smith felt he hadn't done his best.

"I was just upset. I really wanted to just do everything full speed today. I thought I didn’t run my best race," Smith said on NFL Network. "Cap said it looked good. Ryan Capretta at ProActive, he said it looked really good. I thought I didn’t run my best race. I thought I had a little more juice. I kind of, I felt like I was going 85 percent."

But when he saw the official number tick under the magic 4.4 barrier, Smith said "that made my day."

"I just wanted to do it for my mom, man, and do it for Dev, man. Shoutout to 77, I love you baby," Smith said.

"Dev" refers to former Bulldog Devin Willock, who died in a car accident in January. Smith became visibly emotional when discussing Willock with reporters on Wednesday.

Smith's day ended with his first 40-yard dash. He didn't attempt a second, nor did he take part in any drills to follow. He told NFL Network he will be saving on-field drills for Pro Day.

But he shined before the 40-yard dash as well.

Smith led all players in his position group with a 41.5-inch vertical jump. A broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches ranked fourth among all players on Thursday.

All those numbers led to an incredible piece of history for Smith. He is the heaviest player in NFL Combine history with a 40 inch or higher vertical jump and a sub 4.4-second 40-yard dash. He is the third player ever to do so, joining Breece Hall and DK Metcalf.

Smith's performance marks the start of another year that should be painted red and black at the Combine. During his interview with NFL Network, Smith gave his recruiting pitch for the next generation of athletes to come to Athens.

"If you ever want to go to Georgia we've got a new locker room, new weight room. Let me give my spiel on Georgia," Smith said. "We have an indoor facility, outdoor facility, we just put in a brand new restaurant. Let me say that again, a restaurant. It's called Bones. It's amazing. Shoutout to Ms. C, Collier (Madaleno) our nutritionist, she's amazing. We eat steak, lobster, the best of the best. Go Dawgs and go to Georgia."