BREAKING: Nakobe Dean has been Drafted By Philadelphia Eagles
With the 83rd overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have selected Georgia inside linebacker Nakobe Dean.
The program's second-ever Butkus Award winner lived up to the hype and expectations that came with his signing back in December of 2018. The former five-star prospect from Horn Lake, Mississippi, immediately drew comparisons to former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. The program's first Butkus Award winner was fresh off a season in 2017 where he led the Georgia defense to the doorstep of a national championship.
For starters, the measurables were there for the comparisons; both are considered undersized linebackers; Roquan Smith stands in at 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, while Nakobe Dean is 6-foot, 230 pounds. But, as many say, height and weight are just a number at the end of the day. Both are sideline to sideline open-field tacklers; Dean also proved his ability in coverage as a true freshman anchoring Georgia's third-down defense alongside Tae Crowder.
Despite the lack of "NFL size" for the position that saw the Georgia linebacker slip into day two, what made the difference for Nakobe Dean in his junior season, was his improvement as a pass rusher, specifically as a blitzer. Georgia's ability to send five, sometimes six pass rushers after the quarterback proved to be a major factor in bottling up Bryce Young in the national championship game. Dean brings not only the proven production of a first-round pick, but he also possesses the mental traits whether it be identifying a play before it happens or being one of best-run fits at linebacker in the draft.
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