Georgia LB Nakobe Dean hears his name called in the third round
The Dawgs are firing on all cylinder in the early rounds, as linebacker Nakobe Dean has become the latest former Georgia player selected in the NFL draft.
Dean was selected No. 83 overall in the third round and will play at the next level for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The SEC defensive player of the year, Butkus Award winner, first team All-American, and permanent team captain for the 2021 season, Dean’s list of accolades is as impressive as anyone from the vaunted Georgia defense.
His collegiate stats certainly matched the honors.
In three seasons in Athens, Dean played in 39 games, totaling 168 career tackles in that span. He also proved himself to be a highly disruptive player outside of bringing ball carriers down, with 13.5 career tackles for loss, seven and a half sacks, two interceptions, ten pass deflections, and three forced fumbles over his tenure in red and black.
A native of Horn Lake, Mississippi and alumnus of Horn Lake High School, Dean was ranked as a Consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2019. He was the nation’s No. 25 overall player, the No. 4 overall linebacker, and No. 3 prospect in the state of Mississippi for the cycle.
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ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay has been bullish on Dean’s potential at the next level, including a telling recent comment:
“I would say, right away, Nakobe Dean probably would have the biggest impact,” McShay said of Georgia players in the NFL draft. “I just think his football IQ is better than any defensive player in this draft. And I know every scout I’ve talked to cites his just-average arm length, some missed tackles, and doesn’t have great time speed, but I don’t care about timed-speed if you play fast, and he plays fast. He didn’t run a 40-yard dash because he didn’t want that number to come out whatever it would have been, but he’s two steps ahead of every other linebacker on that defense and you got (Channing) Tindall and Quay Walker who both could be second-round picks … I’m talking two full steps ahead of them on misdirections, play-actions, all that stuff. I just love his makeup as a football player, so I would say he probably makes the biggest immediate impact.
Other Nakobe Dean Stories You Might Be Interested In:
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- Georgia coaches, teammates vouch for Nakobe Dean as Butkus Award winner
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