They say the NFL Draft is a crap shoot. No one knows that to be true more than the Philadelphia Eagles. They have both drafted Jason Kelce in the sixth round and Marcus Smith in the first. They also landed Jalen Mills and Jordan Mailata as late-round selections. Hey! You never know... You never know...
Some of it is our fault. We lose our minds before the NFL Draft. We spend months crafting mock drafts and breaking down prospects until we're blue in the face, and then, BAM! Nothing shakes out like we expected.
Guys rise on boards, and others fall. Who knew Philly could land Quinyon Mitchell late in the first round? Then, there are the curve balls. Remember when Nakobe Dean was landed in the third round?
Some said that was where he should have been all along. Others state he was a steal. I believe the latter theory to be true at the time.
Nakobe Dean experiences some early adversity as a guy with first-round grades slips to Round 3.
Most who were watching didn't think there was any way that it could happen at the time. Many hoped the Eagles would draft Nakobe Dean during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He slid to Round 3, and one of the peculiar draft stories in franchise history was birthed.
Most of us had settled into Howie Roseman drafting Jordan Davis if he was available. Taking a six-foot-six, 336-pound defensive tackle seemed like more of the 'Howie style of move' than taking a linebacker.
Besides, Philly hasn't taken a linebacker in the first round of any draft since 1979, but some Birds fans held onto hope anyway.
Nakobe was invited to the draft at Nevada's Caesars Forum and introduced as one of the expected first-round selections. That would have only happened because of theories that he would hear his name called early, but rumors of an injury would change things.
That and questions about his NFL readiness helped facilitate his slide to the selection meeting's second day.
Nakobe Dean learns he has to prove himself, and boy, does he ever!
The unexpected turn Dean's career took may have been the best thing to happen for his career. Never had he been passed over. Never was he told that he wasn't good enough, but that lit a fire under him and birthed a work ethic we rarely see from someone with so much natural talent.
He sat behind T.J. Edwards as a rookie and was relegated to special teams duty. He entered year two as the expected starter at middle linebacker. He suffered two injuries that landed him on the injured reserve. His second trip there ended his season.
He battled back from a foot and Lisfranc injury.
Some Birds gave up on him. We didn't. We knew all he needed was his chance (and the knowledge that his body wouldn't fail him). Vic Fangio arrived as the Eagles' defensive coordinator on January 27th, and Dean took flight under the new DC's watch.
Year three was the charm as Nakobe racked 128 tackles, three sacks, six additional hits on the opposing quarterback, four pass breakups, and a forced fumble. His first career interception was a game-ender vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. His 128 total takedowns and 80 solo stops both ranked second on the team.
He's come into his own but has landed on the season-ending injured reserve again. That ended his season. Our fingers are crossed that he recovers quickly. The Birds will need his contributions again next season.
Still, even though this season hasn't ended how he would have liked, we're proud of him. He's shown us some moxie. He's earned his wings. He has nothing to be ashamed of.