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Georgia Bulldogs

Nakobe Dean selected in third round of 2022 NFL Draft

Kevin Duffey

By Kevin Duffey

Published:


Nakobe Dean has been a can’t-miss prospect since his high school days in Horn Lake, Mississippi. Dean was the nation’s No. 2 inside linebacker prospect and the state’s No. 1 prospect for the class of 2019, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Dean surprisingly slid to Round 3, due to a reported “severe pec strain.” Friday night, Dean was finally selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 83 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Sure, Dean is a bit smaller than other linebackers at 5-foot-11 and 229 pounds, but his nose for the football and fantastic technique more than make up for it.

Dean has been compared to 2 current — Roquan Smith and Devin Bush — NFL linebackers and 1 former NFL linebacker — Jesse Tuggle. He’s a really good tackler; however, he also has enough speed to cover running backs out of the backfield.

Georgia destroyed Michigan in the College Football Playoff, and the one play that comes to mind — that shows off Dean’s tremendous ability — is below. Dean comes across the field to make the tackle on a running back who’s trying to get outside and turn the corner.

Following his impressive 2021 campaign helping lead Georgia to the national title, Dean was the 2021 Butkus Award Winner and was a First-Team All-American.

Dean has all the makings of a fabulous NFL career ahead of him.

Kevin Duffey

A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.

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