This series was created in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
During a lot of the leadup to the 2022 NFL Draft, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean was the projected top linebacker prospect and a consensus top-20 pick. Dean was coming off a fantastic 2021 season in which he made a lot of splash plays to help lead the Georgia defense on the team’s way to winning its first National Championship since 1980. Dean was considered the leader of the defense and its heart and soul. After the season ended, however, Dean was dealing with some injuries that kept him from working out normally before 2022 NFL Draft. The projections fell to Dean being a late first- or second-round pick, but he ended up slipping all the way to Round 3.
Dean was trending in the wrong direction over the past few months with downside momentum. He was injured during the spring, and that kept him from running at the combine. He also was said to run slow times, and while he worked out at the Georgia pro day, team sources said the workout was not impressive because he wasn’t in good shape. There was some speculation that Dean might need pectoral surgery that could reduce or cost him rookie season. Dean is undersized for the NFL at 5-foot-11, 220 pounds, and his history of injuries had teams concerned about his durability at the next level. A source with one NFL team told WalterFootball.com that their scouts were high on Dean, but he was lowered on the organization’s board after the coaches got involved. Dean’s size and injury history were the big concerns for the coaches and across the league. All of those factors combined to force Dean to fall lower than expected.
The Philadelphia Eagles ended Dean’s fall in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and the team was a great landing spot because the starting position is an open competition. The Eagles signed Kyzir White in free agency, but Dean should immediately vie with T.J. Edwards to be the starting middle linebacker. Once healthy, Dean should win the starting job and be a centerpiece of the Philadelphia defense. Dean has excellent instincts, and there is no doubt that he is a good football player who is very capable in coverage and as a run defender. The key to Dean panning out in the NFL will be staying healthy and on the field. If can avoid injury remains to be seen, but if he manages to do that, Dean could be a massive steal for the Eagles as a third-round pick.
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