Why Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is the perfect fit for the New England Patriots in NFL Draft

ESPN draft expert Todd McShay has one wish for former Georgia Bulldogs star linebacker Nakobe Dean in the 2022 NFL Draft. McShay would love to see Dean go from the tutelage of Kirby Smart at Georgia to arguably one of the greatest defensive minds to coach the game in New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He also explains why they are a perfect fit for each other.

“I went with the Nakobe Dean to the Patriots, again. Listen, I know they have a cornerback need, I know there’s some other areas they could go. I just wanna see the smartest football IQ player in this draft in Nakobe Dean to go play for Bill Belichick and change concepts every week, I just would love to see the weekly install meetings that they have. I know he’s not as tall as you want at 5’11. He doesn’t have great arm length like teams a looking for. But Nakobe Dean, I’m gonna die on the Dean hill… this guy is a flat-out football player who can rush the quarterback and can cover,” said McShay.

For the Bulldogs, Dean orchestrated the defense and was the spearhead of their stifling defense, which led them to their first national championship in nearly half a century. He finished the season with 72 tackles, 36 solo, six sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. Dean was able to fill the stat sheet for Georgia Consistently. If the patriots do select him in this year’s draft, there is no telling what the genius of Belichick can do with a player like that.

Nakobe Dean wins Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year award

Former Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean was named as the 2022 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year on Monday following a nationwide selection process out of nearly 1,000 nominees by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, a biweekly newsmagazine dedicated exclusively to diversity issues in higher education.

Dean, a native of Horn Lake, Miss., follows in the footsteps of Bulldog All-American kicker Rodrigo Blankenship who won the award in 2020. Other UGA athletes to win include women’s basketball’s Haley Clark in 2018 and gymnast Marcia Newby in 2010.

Dean enjoyed a standout season on the field as well as off of it. On the field he finished second on the team in tackles with 72 as he led the Bulldogs’ National Championship-winning, No. 1-ranked defense from the middle at the inside linebacker position. Dean recorded a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss including 6.0 sacks along with six pass breakups, 31 quarterback pressures and two interceptions, one of which he took to the house for a touchdown against Florida. He was named a first-team all-American by the Associated Press, Walter Camp, the America Football Coaches Association, Sporting News, USA Today and ESPN among others while also winning the 2021 Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker.