Nakobe Dean explains why relationships at Georgia will continue to be valuable

Nakobe Dean is officially a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and when asked about his biggest takeaways from his time in Athens, the former Georgia star pointed to the bonds and contacts he was able to form throughout his collegiate tenure.

“Other than the national championship and winning, it would probably be the relationships,” Dean said. “One of the reasons I came to Georgia was opening doors, and I can say one of the proudest things as I leave was the amount of relationships I was able to build.”

“I was able to open up more and talk to people more,” the Eagles rookie added.

Nakobe Dean had 25 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss as a freshman in 2019, and he turned into a valuable contributor at Georgia in the past two seasons. In 2020, he totaled 71 tackles with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss. Last season, Dean totaled 72 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, two interceptions, five passes defended, and two forced fumbles.

Nakobe Dean addresses what will change on the field going from Georgia to NFL

Former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nakobe Dean fell a bit in the 2022 NFL Draft, as he wasn’t selected until the Philadelphia Eagles took him in the third round with the No. 83 overall pick. Dean’s fall was mostly due to injury concerns, but now he is ready to begin his NFL career in Philadelphia. 

As he transitions from Georgia to the Eagles, Dean knows it won’t be easy. He remembers the transition from high school to college football, and he expects another sizeable jump as he begins his rookie year this season.

“Probably the attention to detail,” Dean said about the toughest part of transitioning to the NFL. “Everything just like from high school to college, the attention to detail went up. From college to the pros, the attention to detail can go up some more. Everything is under more of a significant microscope.”

Even though everything is under more of a microscope as Nakobe Dean said, that is something that he embraces. He holds himself to a high standard, and that should help him as he transitions to the NFL.

“It is,” said Dean. “I feel like I’m a detail-oriented person. Just because of the small things, doing a lot of small things help you. At Georgia, it was real structured, everything we did, so it was – everything was done to a standard. I feel like I’m gonna carry that standard, because it’s not only the standard at Georgia, it was a standard I had in myself. And that won’t change.”