Philadelphia Eagles GM makes bold claim on Nakobe Dean's future

The Philadelphia Eagles are banking on Georgia product Nakobe Dean to come in and transform their linebacking corps. the Eagles took him off the on Friday night, picking him No. 83 overall in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

After many projected the Eagles to be one of the teams to watch for Nakobe Dean in the first round, they ended up only spending a third round pick on the talented linebacker. General manager Howie Roseman made it clear after the pick that they have none of the concerns other teams had about health.

“You’re going to have to hold his ass back,” Roseman told head coach Nick Sirianni, via NBC Philadelphia’s John Clark.

He added that he expects Dean to play through the pec issue, which reportedly caused his draft slide, and will participate alongside other rookies in offseason workouts over the coming weeks.

NFL Network’s James Palmer also revealed that Dean was never told he needed any sort of surgery for his injuries. Something that added to his nerves this week.

“Nakobe Dean said it was nerve-racking to see the reports that were out there,” Palmer said. “How they were effecting his mother and costing him money, but said he’s still truly blessed. He has never been told that he should have surgery during this process.”

Robert Griffin III on Nakobe Dean

Former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III joined ESPN’s College GameDay prior to discuss Nakobe Dean who he feels was the steal of day two of the 2022 NFL Draft.

“When you look at the Nakobe Dean, he was the best player on that Georgia defense,” Griffin said. “He was the leader of that defense. I call him lean, mean and he wears number 17. There were worries about his size and how he would translate to the NFL game, and I just think looking at him, if you have a problem with the size, then draft him behind Jordan Davis draft him, put him behind Fletcher Cox and allow him to run sideline to sideline I think that’s what Philly did.

In four seasons with the Bulldogs, Dean elevated his game consistently, leading an exceptional Georgia defense as one of the top linebackers in the entire nation.

Last season, Dean realized his dream of bringing a championship to Georgia, helping to end a drought that spanned over 40 years when the Bulldogs defeated Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Additionally, the star linebacker was the recipient of the Butkus Award, presented annually to the top linebackers in college football and will look to continue that success while in the NFL.