Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Georgia’s Nakobe Dean
Georgia Bulldog Nakobe Dean made a name for himself as the alpha dog leader on the loaded Bulldogs defense that won its first national championship in 41 years.
The 2021 Butkus Award winner is considered to be one of the top two linebackers in the 2022 NFL Draft, and as his journey moves over to the next level, Las Vegas Raiders are hoping to get his impact defensively for years to come.
“Inexperienced, yet smart inside linebacker who continues to get better as a processor. Dean reads and reacts quickly in the run game, coming downhill well and especially excelling in pursuit. The further the season progressed, the more of a communicator he became. In pursuit, Dean uses his above-average speed to flow to the ball if he manages to stay clean. He takes blocks on low and shows play strength to prevent getting sealed. When tasked with man coverage responsibilities, he stays square and patient. Dean can even turn and run with slots. He plays urgently with strong effort,” NFL Draft Bible noted.
The No. 2-ranked inside linebacker in SI’s Draft Bible rankings, Dean started in all 15 games and finished the season with 72 total tackles (36 solos), led the Bulldogs in tackles for losses with 10.5 and was second on the team with six sacks, and recorded two interceptions in 2021.
Dean was a unanimous first-team All-American, first-team All-SEC and captain on the Bulldogs' stacked defense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dean was graded with an overall defensive mark of 91.7, making him the top linebacker in 2021.
Dean is an explosive yet undersized linebacker who makes up for his lack of size with his set of skills.
He's a very instinctive playmaker in the middle of the field who can play both man and zone schemes and what is most impressive last year was his improvement in the pass rush, specifically as a blitzer.
Dean will not be performing in this year’s NFL Combine as he waits for Georgia's pro day on March 16 to perform drills for scouts.
The Raiders can draft this playmaker who can perform any tasks on defense and who has just scratched the surface of what he can become in the NFL.
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