Nakobe Dean: 'Things that were not true cost me a lot of money'

Nakobe Dean says he is healthy and ready to play, pushing back on reports regarding his surprise slide in the 2022 NFL Draft.

As a projected first-round pick, Dean accepted the NFL’s invitation to be in Las Vegas for Thursday night’s Round 1 festivities. Many considered Dean the best available player for Friday’s Round 2 after his name was not called Thursday. Fans were stunned that Dean made it all the way to Round 3, where he was finally selected by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 83 overall.

After Round 2, it was reported that Dean is dealing with a “severe pec strain” and his decision to not have surgery was an issue for NFL teams. Dean said none of the doctors he saw told him he needed surgery.

“Things that were not true cost me a lot of money,” Dean said after being drafted, per ProFootballTalk. “That was the thing that was so surprising and mind-boggling. It was never, I went to doctors, got second opinions and everything, and nobody — nobody — said I should have surgery. Nobody had told me I had to have surgery. So, for that to come up and for teams to be saying that and waiting until the day of the draft to say something like that, that was kind of crazy to me.”

Dean said he’s ready for rookie camp with the Eagles.

“I’m healthy,” Dean said. “I’m ready to go. I know minicamp is next week and I expect to be a full participant for that. Why I dropped? It’s not in my control. Nothing I can do. Nothing I could do to make them pick me earlier. I’m grateful and blessed I have this opportunity.”

A healthy Dean is an absolute steal for the Eagles at pick No. 83.