Player: Nakobe Dean

College: Georgia

Height and Weight: 5’11”, 229

Combine Results:

• 40: DNP
• Bench: DNP
• Broad Jump: DNP
• Vertical Jump: DNP
• 3 Cone: DNP
• Other Notes: Dean got measured at the combine and that concluded his participation in Indy. It is unclear as to why he actually skipped testing and drills; however, if I had to speculate it was because he did not feel ready to compete. There are question marks starting to arise around Dean’s size and ability to be a starting caliber LB in the league, and he may have wanted more time to prepare for the testing to show that his size should not matter when looking to draft him.

Strengths: Leadership, ability to blitz, very consistent tackler, high motor play and instincts for the ball.

Weaknesses: Block shedding, too quick to read a play sometimes 

Projected Draft Day: Day 1

Player Comparison: Ceiling: Devin White/Floor: Leighton Vander Esch

Player Summary: Dean is a do-it-all linebacker whose strengths go way beyond the field of play. Dean is not the biggest, fastest, or strongest linebacker you will watch on film, but he is certainly a high motor player who does not stop until the whistle blows and the play is over. Dean is a very instinctive player who always seems to be near the ball, but due to being a high motor player can blow assignments every once in a while by just trying to go for the guy with the ball and not reading the field around him. Dean is a “jack of all trades” linebacker, but a master of none. Dean is at the very least average at every aspect of being a linebacker, but is probably not considered elite at any particular aspect of being a linebacker either. For example, Dean is a great blitzer and there’s plenty of film on it as he comes from a blitz heavy Georgia defense. The issue is when blitzing the middle he can occasionally get caught up in the pile up of players.

Dean was very clearly the heart and sole of Georgia’s championship defense, and he makes everyone around him better. It shows in the Championship game against Bama when he got in the face of fellow linebacker Channing Tindall. Dean will step in and be a day one impact player on and off the field for whichever team drafts him.

If Dean can develop in all aspects of the game we could end up seeing him as one of the games best in a couple years just like Devin White, but even if he doesn’t develop much he could still be a quality starter who has a great season every once in a while like Leighton Vander Esch.