Nakobe Dean: another test of play vs. measurables

The 21-year-old flies to the ball, navigates traffic well, is usually a solid tackler and appears smooth in coverage. He won the Butkus Award last season, given to the country’s best linebacker, after compiling 72 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a touchdown. Dean earned the same honor in 2018 at Horn Lake High School (Mississippi), making him one of three players to win the high school and collegiate versions of the award (Manti Te’o, Jaylon Smith).

Dean hasn’t helped his case in the past two months, however. He didn’t participate in drills at the combine or his pro day because of a pectoral strain sustained while training in Dallas. The naysayers only grew louder.

“Not everything goes the way you planned it to go,” Dean said at his pro day. “It’s definitely a little frustrating but I can only control what I can control. I pray about it, give it to God, control what I can and that’s it.”

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has been among those pleading Dean’s case throughout the pre-draft process. During a segment April 12, McShay emphatically defended Dean, declaring him a prospect worthy of going early in round one despite falling short of the preferred build.

“I’ve been shocked with the phone calls (with NFL personnel) … Nakobe Dean, I knew I had a higher grade than most people,” McShay said. “And I personally think he’s one of the 20 best football players in this class, maybe one of the best 15. But there’s concern about the arm length, concern about the speed, concern about the measurables not matching up to the production in college.

“I’m going to die on the Dean hill. That’s fine with me. I’m going to have him ranked too high, he’s going to get drafted way lower than I rank him. He’s going to be sitting on the ‘best available’ McShay list for a long time come Thursday night in the draft. But I’ve been told by multiple people that they think there’s a chance, in fact a couple teams told me this, that we have his teammate, Quay Walker - who’s a really good player but he’s not Dean on tape, but he’s longer, faster and they think there’s more upside – that they have Quay Walker ahead of Dean. I don’t know that it was shocking to me because it’s been building, and I thought something like that could come out when I talk to teams, but I just don’t see that on tape.

“The best player on that defense, every single game, is Nakobe Dean. Yet there’s a legitimate chance that he’s still on the board when we finish up (the first round) and he’s waiting all day Friday to get his name called in the first five, seven picks (of round two). There’s a legitimate chance that Nakobe Dean isn’t a first-round pick and that blows my mind.”

As McShay suggested, Dean’s draft range is massive. A team could fall in love with him in the teens or he could fall out of the first round. Inside linebacker isn’t considered a premium position, which hurts Dean’s case. While linebackers can be interchangeable in some schemes, there haven’t been many off-ball linebackers taken in round one recently.

Since 2018, nine have gone within the first 32 picks (excluding chess-piece players): Jamin Davis (Commanders), Kenneth Murray (Chargers), Patrick Queen (Ravens), Devin White (Buccaneers), Devin Bush (Steelers), Roquan Smith (Bears), Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys), Tremaine Edmunds (Bills) and Rashaan Evans (Titans). Only Smith, White and Bush went in the top 10.

Dean also isn’t the consensus top inside linebacker. He’s competing with Utah’s Devin Lloyd for that honor. Lloyd is considered a likely first rounder and offers better size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) than Dean.

Still, there have been successful undersized linebackers. Dean often draws comparisons to Jonathan Vilma and Lavonte David, one former and one current player who managed lengthy, widely successful careers despite their physical limitations.

“The teams will think what they think,” said Dean, who received his Georgia championship spring at G-Day on April 16. “They watch the film. I can just control what I can control. I can’t control where they pick me, who likes me, who criticizes me, who thinks I’m the worst player in the world, I can only control what I do.

“I feel like my mentality sets me apart from anybody in the draft class. I do feel like I’m the best linebacker in this draft class regardless of what they (critics) might think.”

Dean’s linebacker teammates at Georgia, Walker and Channing Tindall, are superb athletes who could also go within the first two rounds. As McShay indicated, Walker could be a first rounder, offering the size, speed and coverage ability teams covet in the pass-happy NFL. Lloyd, Dean, Walker and Tindall should be the first four inside linebackers off the board in some order.

Other notable off-ball linebackers include Christian Harris (Alabama), Troy Andersen (Montana State), Brandon Smith (Penn State), Chad Muma (Wyoming), JoJo Domann (Nebraska), Leo Chenal (Wisconsin), Damone Clark (LSU), Brian Asamoah (Oklahoma) and Darrian Beavers (Cincinnati).

AJC’S 2022 POSITION-BY-POSITION SERIES

WIDE RECEIVERS – Falcons need to upgrade weapons | Top 10 WRs

RUNNING BACKS – Position has become devalued in draft | Top 10 RBs

TIGHT ENDS – Chigoziem Okonkwo survived heart condition | Top 10 TEs

OFFENSIVE LINE – Ex-UGA lineman Salyer points to wins in SEC trenches | Top 10 OL

QUARTERBACKS – Malik Willis now top QB prospect for NFL draft | Top 10 QBs

DEFENSIVE LINE – Georgia dominates D-line talk ahead of draft | Top 10 DL

LINEBACKERS – Ex-UGA star Dean the latest test of play vs. measurables

CORNERBACKS – Wednesday, April 20

SAFETIES – Thursday, April 21

SPECIAL TEAMS – Friday, April 22