Photo by Tony Walsh-University of Georgia Athletics
Games |
Tackles |
Tackles for Loss |
Sacks |
Pass Defended |
Interceptions |
Forced Fumbles |
Touchdowns |
36 |
168 |
13.5 |
7.5 |
7 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
40 Yard Dash |
Bench Press |
Vertical Jump |
Broad Jump |
3-Cone Drill |
20 Yard Shuttle |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
The Georgia Bulldogs have finally found consistency on defense after years of up and down performances under head coach Kirby Smart and Nakobe Dean has been one of the best playmakers in the SEC. At 6' and 225 lbs., Nakobe brings exceptional athleticism and a very high football IQ. He possesses elite level explosiveness at the linebacker position and he put his ability on display in 2021. As a blitzer, Dean brings rare pass rush ability for a player his size and on multiple occasions was a game wrecker for Georgia. He blitzes with a very low pad level which is made even lower by his size and at times it looked like offensive lineman couldn't see him behind his big defensive tackles up front. He has a shockingly flexible frame for how compact he is and has bent around offensive lineman in the interior on many occasions. He's very good at disguising his blitzes and hits the gap at full speed. He does a great job weaving through traffic in the line and is very good at making play in the backfield. He has an excellent swim move as well as a phenomenal dip and rip move mainly because he gets so low to the ground that he can slip under tackles like Von Miller occasionally. His ability to change direction quickly due to his size also has made him a phenomenal blitzer with his ability to turn on a dime helps him not pursue ball carriers bouncing outside but he also has enough speed to run them down quickly. He picks his gaps very carefully when blitzing and has a knack for choosing very well. In run defense, he plays with excellent football IQ and toughness. He does a nice job of staying behind the trenches to keep from getting caught in the wash and is very good at reading blocks and breaking into rush lanes. He's a great tackler with textbook form and more than enough power in his frame and hands to wrestle down running backs. He has a very powerful low half and can stand some of the most powerful backs in college football. He possesses sideline-to-sideline speed to make plays all over the field and has on many occasions made plays from the opposite side of the field. In pass coverage, showed phenomenal instincts and football IQ in 2021 and was one of the most dangerous linebackers in college football to throw bad passes too. Because so small as a linebacker, he has little issues playing man coverage against slot receivers. He has excellent agility and quickness and is rarely outmatched in the slot by receivers. He has shown the ability to jump routes in college and has return ability after the interception. He has excellent hands for a linebacker and when the ball touches his hands, he always has a chance to come down with it. He has excellent range in zone coverage and takes good angles on passes when attempting to disrupt throws. He holds down his zone very well and does a nice job forcing receivers to be wary of his ability to hit them. He's a big hitter but a tackler first for sure and doesn't find himself getting shrugged off by ball carriers. He's a tough and rugged linebacker that plays like he's on fire and has been a huge reason for Georgia's dominance this season. He's a high effort and high energy football player and you can be sure that your team can feed off of him like Georgia's defense does when he makes a play.
Nakobe Dean's size will be his biggest detractor during the NFL draft because linebackers at his level rarely have long careers. Much like running backs, linebackers need significant bulk in their frame to withstand NFL punishment from running backs and offensive lineman and while he possesses a highly compact and muscular frame for his size, adding more bulk to his frame may be needed to ease scouts' minds about his durability. Unlike other linebackers in this draft, Nakobe Dean has the benefit of playing behind defensive tackle Jordan Davis who ability to eat double and triple teams in the center of the line allows Nakobe Dean to wreak havoc in the backfield, almost untouched occasionally, and him benefiting from his teammates dominance in the middle has to be accounted for by scouts. He plays with legit NFL prospects all over the field in both the secondary, Derion Kendrick, Adam Anderson, and Nolan Smith to name a few, and while he has certainly risen above the talent around outside of Jordan Davis he still has to prove himself in workouts and at the combine. His lack of scheme versatility makes him strictly a 4-3 linebacker in the NFL. He struggles with disengaging from offensive lineman when they reach him in the second level due to his lack of length and size and needs to become much more adept at keeping himself clean in run defense.
Nakobe Dean has been one of the biggest surprises of the Georgia defense because rarely do guys with his size as much wreak havoc as he did in college football. Nakobe Dean has done a phenomenal job of turning his weakness into a strength by using his lack of length and size to his advantage and it really helped him separate from the other linebackers in this class. If he can get paired with a creative defensive coordinator and good defensive line, he could pop early in his rookie year. If he can stay healthy, I fully expect him to be a quality linebacker in his career and potentially find himself being selected to the pro bowl.
Nakobe Dean's size will be his biggest detractor during the NFL draft because linebackers at his level rarely have long careers. Much like running backs, linebackers need significant bulk in their frame to withstand NFL punishment from running backs and offensive lineman and while he possesses a highly compact and muscular frame for his size, adding more bulk to his frame may be needed to ease scouts' minds about his durability. Unlike other linebackers in this draft, Nakobe Dean has the benefit of playing behind defensive tackle Jordan Davis who ability to eat double and triple teams in the center of the line allows Nakobe Dean to wreak havoc in the backfield, almost untouched occasionally, and him benefiting from his teammates dominance in the middle has to be accounted for by scouts. He plays with legit NFL prospects all over the field in both the secondary, Derion Kendrick, Adam Anderson, and Nolan Smith to name a few, and while he has certainly risen above the talent around outside of Jordan Davis he still has to prove himself in workouts and at the combine. His lack of scheme versatility makes him strictly a 4-3 linebacker in the NFL. He struggles with disengaging from offensive lineman when they reach him in the second level due to his lack of length and size and needs to become much more adept at keeping himself clean in run defense.
Nakobe Dean has been one of the biggest surprises of the Georgia defense because rarely do guys with his size as much wreak havoc as he did in college football. Nakobe Dean has done a phenomenal job of turning his weakness into a strength by using his lack of length and size to his advantage and it really helped him separate from the other linebackers in this class. If he can get paired with a creative defensive coordinator and good defensive line, he could pop early in his rookie year. If he can stay healthy, I fully expect him to be a quality linebacker in his career and potentially find himself being selected to the pro bowl.