The Eagles landed one of the 2022 draft class’s smartest linebackers in Nakobe Dean.
Football I.Q. is one thing. Being a star in the classroom is another. Being able to claim mastery of both is always noteworthy. Nakobe Dean was a recipient of the Ramsey Scholarship for Academic and Athletic Excellence and a mechanical engineering major at UGA.
It’s hard to understand what we’re supposed to learn from some of the drills we watch at the NFL Scouting Combine sometimes, but no one should be confused about how much of a bonus it is to have both quarterbacks and linebackers that can process information at an elite level.
Dean has a unique and keen sense of what everyone on the field is supposed to be doing. None of that speed would matter if he didn’t. Watch some Georgia Bulldogs games, or some film, or some YouTube clips, or anything that you can get your hands on. You’ll notice the same thing from this young man more often than not.
He finds the appropriate gaps in the offensive line and begins making his way towards them before they develop. His interceptions versus the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators in 2021 would lead you to believe that he was in the other team’s pass pattern.
The NFL game is often more of a mental game than a physical one. With that being said, Dean already has the edge on many of his fellow rookies and more than his fair share of veterans as well.