Philadelphia Eagles: If Nakobe Dean hits, the sky is the limit

Had the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Nakobe Dean with their first round pick, folks would have called it a home run selection.

On paper, Dean has everything going for him. He had great instincts for the position, took the field with an aggressive mentality, and was the leader of a stout defensive front that made it to and ultimately won an NCAA championship.

Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention he played linebacker? Goodness, if Howie Roseman drafted a linebacker in the first round, you know that player has to be special, as he’s never done it before and will probably never do it again.

Fortunately, Roseman did not draft Dean in the first round, instead choosing to select his former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis, and neither did any of the other 31 teams. No, Dean somehow slipped out of the first round and out of the second round entirely and was still on the board at pick 83 when the Eagles went on the clock for their third selection.

Could the Birds have taken a cornerback, a running back, or any other position really with such a premium pick? You bet, but at that point, the value was just too good, and Dean officially turned in his Georgia reds for midnight green.

With a first round caliber linebacker now in place, the Philadelphia Eagles have their best chance in a while to field a premier defensive unit, especially if Nakobe Dean brings his Bulldog mentality to the City of Brotherly Love.

The Philadelphia Eagles need to position Nakobe Dean for success.

Coming into the 2022 NFL Draft, there were two questions surrounding Nakobe Dean: His medical evaluation and his athletic measurables. For the most part, the former has been answered, as Dean has taken the field in an Eagles uniform and there haven’t been any rumors or reports that suggest he’ll be out this fall. The second question, however, is far less clear.

At Georgia, Dean was a middle linebacker. He was the Bulldogs’ field general, helped his teammates get into their proper pre-snap spots, and was the player opposing quarterbacks called out to their offenses pre-snap. Though Dean was still undersized for that role in college, standing 6-foot, 225 pounds, Kirby Smart and company clearly didn’t miss his size in 2021 and worked around it in the best possible way.

In the NFL, however, you don’t see many middle linebackers with Dean’s size, especially ones who aren’t uber fast athletes like Devin White or Deon Bush.

If Dean had the same measurables as Devin Lloyd, he probably would have been drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars at pick 27, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case, and there’s a reason why you don’t see many undersized linebackers with average athleticism play every down in the NFL.

What Dean does have, however, and has in spades is heart, and that’s one aspect of the pre-draft evaluation process that can’t be easily quantified. Dean can read an offense, get to his spots, and make plays against the pass and especially against the run; sure, putting him in man coverage against Kyle Pitts probably isn’t the best idea, but how many linebackers can win that matchup consistently?

Answer: Not many.

Where will Nakobe Dean play most of his snaps for the Philadelphia Eagles this fall? Will he play on the weakside next to T.J. Edwards? Or will he man the middle with Kyzir White at the Will? And what about the headset? Will Dean earn the honor of fielding plays for Jonathan Gannon, or is that a lot to ask from a rookie third round pick? Keep an eye on 17 when training camp opens next month; if he can go right out of the gates, the sky’s the limit on the defense’s potential.