Nakobe Dean profile: Why the Philadelphia Eagles drafted the LB in the 2022 NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles picked Nakobe Dean with the 83rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Dean stands at 5’11 ½" and weighs in at 225 pounds. One of the top two linebacker recruits in the country in 2019 – along with Penn State’s Brandon Smith – Dean was more of a rotational player as a freshman before taking over as a fixture in the lineup for the Bulldogs in 2020, collecting 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
As a junior, he became the lead-“dawg” for one of the most excellent defenses in college football history. He was named a first-team All-American individually, with 72 tackles, 10.5 for loss, six sacks, a couple of forced fumbles, two passes intercepted (one returned for a TD), and five more broken up.
Nakobe Dean's strengths
Dean was the play-caller and captain of the outstanding Georgia defense, which rotated their linebackers. Still, he was the one constant that never left the field, and everybody was looking and listening to him.
He looked a little beefy in 2020, but he seemed lighter on his feet as a junior and was a heat-seeking missile for the Bulldogs.
Dean moves laterally as he tracks the ball carriers on more horizontal runs and shuffles before flattening his angle to the sideline if the opponent tries to get around the edge.
At the same time, he will not hesitate to meet an insert wing/H-back in the hole and launch himself into contact to squeeze that man towards the next-closest blocker and avoid an extra hole being created.
Thanks to his compact build, he packs a punch on contact with blockers or the ball carrier. You see him almost push the pile like a runner with the way he churns those legs as he’s engaged with somebody in traffic. He allows his eyes to lead him to the ball, and he has a tremendous closing burst. That’s what made him an absolute screen-killer.
He had a great play against Kentucky when the whole defense seemed to be fooled by a screen pass. The running back was about to stroll into the end-zone, with the Wildcats having three linemen out in front and nobody else on that side of the field, but Dean split them and took down the back for a five-yard loss.
In zone coverage, Dean does an excellent job of tracking the eyes of the quarterback and confirming his path of floating in zone coverage by peaking at the receivers from the corner of his eye.
His football IQ and awareness are on display when he’s shuffling out to the flats with the back but sees somebody coming across the field, and he mid-lines those routes to avoid surrendering easy completions.
Dean displays tremendous anticipation for routes. He can stick with some slot receivers on shorter patterns while not allowing late separation as opponents try to float away or run secondary routes.
He had a play early in the Orange Bowl against Michigan, where he was flanked out wide with the back in an empty set. He followed him across the field on an orbit motion, directly into a swing screen, and made the tackle for a loss of two.
When the ball is caught over the middle of the field, the offensive player typically takes the worst of collisions with Dean. He nearly decapitated one of the Kentucky receivers at the end of their 2021 matchup.
He is tough to pick up in Georgia’s blitz packages, looping around and finding open lanes while having some wiggle to freeze the feet of blockers momentarily.
Being built lower to the ground lets him turn some tighter angles than players who are 6’2” or taller as he wraps around off games with the D-line.
He shows some quick hands to get around guards and centers while crossing them up with a jab to one side and then getting by the other way.
The Bulldog coaches put him head-over the center and gave him a two-way because he was so good at it and could dip underneath the hands. When the quarterback starts rolling out to his side, you see Dean arrive in a hurry and put some wicked hits.
Nakobe Dean's weaknesses
Measurements are what might ultimately hurt Dean’s draft stock. He came in half an inch short of six feet at the combine. When big blockers get in front of him, you see him lose vision on the ball at times.
He can get a little too aggressive, working sideways and not protecting the cutback lane on split zone runs, having all the momentum in front of his ties, and being vulnerable to go amiss in the backfield.
Playing behind a rotation of five likely eventual first-round picks certainly didn’t hurt either. Dean doesn’t have great long speed like the two other linebackers for the Bulldogs, and you see him get more conservative with his angles out to the sideline against sweeps and screens. He gets a little grabby when he’s matched up with somebody faster than him and has his back towards the quarterback.
Conclusion on Nakobe Dean
You could argue that nobody was playing their position at a higher level in 2021 than Dean did at linebacker. Everybody on that loaded Georgia D was looking for him to give directions and take them to that national title.
He doesn’t have prototype size or athleticism, but he can play so fast because there is no hesitation in what he sees, and he’s as physical as athletes that are over 240 pounds.
There may be some limitations with what you can do with him on long downs, focusing on him as a pressure player rather than asking him to blanket athletic tight-ends who might be able to get a step on him and tower over him. Still, he will not back down from any challenge and could set the tone for a defense for the next decade.
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