Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking the 2022 NFL Draft Class

There’s no if, ands, or buts about it: Nakobe Dean was the steal of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The 15th ranked player on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board, there wasn’t a professional mock draft that had Dean falling out of the first round, let alone out of the top-25 picks, and yet, Howie Roseman was able to secure that sort of marquee talent all the way down at pick 83 for no reason other than medical concerns about his pec.

That’s right, despite his best efforts to win with a cobbled-together linebacking corps, Roseman secured an elite-level performer who could see extensive playing time as a rookie, win a long-term starting spot, and play at a high enough level to earn a long-term extension – another hurdle Roseman will have to get over, now that he has a high-level linebacker on his roster.

With Haason Reddick, T.J. Edwards, and Kyzir White expected to start come Week 1, Dean may be relegated to subpackage duty early on, likening playing alongside White in the nickel package, but don’t be surprised if the leader of Georgia’s defense takes on a similar role in South Philly and eventually becomes a fixture of the starting lineup for years to come.