Will Not Drafting Nakobe Dean Haunt New York Giants?

A lot of people are disappointed the Giants passed on Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. Will the Giants' decision to pass on him end up haunting them?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
May 3, 2022 12:35 PM EDT

In this story:

Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants had a chance to draft playmaking linebacker Nakobe Dean out of Georgia, but they passed. Will they regret it?

After a stellar first day of the NFL Draft in which he landed Oregon edge Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal, Giants general manager Joe Schoen’s Day 2 draft selections seemed to take some of the air out of the balloon.

Schoen and the Giants passed on Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, selecting Kentucky receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in the second round following two trades down the board, and then North Carolina guard Joshua Ezeudu and LSU cornerback Cor’Dale Flott on Day 2. When the Philadelphia Eagles plucked Dean two picks after the Giants selected Flott, that confusion turned to ire for some.

Dean’s slide down the draft board was reportedly tied to some medical concerns teams had with him, most notably a pectoral issue he suffered before the draft.

In his first press conference with the Eagles, Dean vehemently denied he was dealing with any injuries, telling Philly reporters, “I’m healthy. “I’m ready to go. I know minicamp is next week, and I expect to be a full participant for that. Why I dropped? It’s not in my control. There’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing I could do to make them pick me earlier.”

Dean also debunked reports that he declined to have surgery on his pectoral muscle.

“That was the thing that was so surprising and mind-boggling,” he said. “I went to doctors, got second opinions and everything, and nobody said I should have surgery. Nobody had told me I had to have surgery.

“So, for that to come up and for teams to be saying that and waiting until the day of the draft to say something like that, that was kind of crazy to me.”

The Giants seemed happy with the three players they did get on Day 2, despite having an opportunity to grab Dean.

Of Robinson, Schoen said, “Good football player we've had our eye on, generator with the ball in his hands, very good run after the catch, very good route runner, can separate. And for what we are going to do offensively, we thought he would be a very good fit for us. “

Schoen said Ezeudu’s versatility—he has guard-tackle flexibility--was an appealing trait. The same held true for Flott, whom they view as a guy who can play inside and outside.

Still, the passing of Dean, who in 2021 logged 72 tackles (10.5 for loss), six sacks, 28 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, and two interceptions in Georgia’s first-ever College Football Playoff national championship naturally raised a question for Schoen about the decision to pass on him.

And Schoen, who inherited a Giants team that has for years been in the top-10 league-wide in man-games lost due to injury, hinted at the medical concerns being behind Dean’s fall.

“I don't know what's all out there, what you have, but we can't really talk much about that. But yeah, there's a reason he's fallen, I think,” he said after the Giants made their three picks on the second day. “And, you know, he's a great kid. He had a great career, and I'm sure he'll go shortly.

The decision to pass on Dean seems to indicate that Schoen, in his first draft as Giants general manager, wasn’t keen on taking risks on players with medical red flags. The Giants would later address the linebacker spot—twice—on Day 3 with their selections of Indiana’s Micah McFadden with their first pick in the fifth round (No. 146) and the sixth round in Cincinnati’s Darrian Beavers (No. 182).

Of McFadden and Beavers, Schoen again pointed to the versatility each player brings to the table as appealing to them.

Versatility is great, but for a Giants team that has mostly been built on “jacks of all trade, master of none,” the move understandably upset fans longing for impact players to dot the roster.

That said, perhaps the thinking by Schoen in not wanting to take the risk with Dean is a classic example of “Patience being a virtue.”

Perhaps Schoen’s focus is on getting the team back on track with guys who are “safer” bets in the short-term than over the long term, believing that there might be other opportunities to add to the position.

Still, as for whether the Giants will regret passing on Dean, that remains to be seen. But it sounds as though Schoen trusted the information he received regarding Dean’s medical enough to not look back in the rear mirror.