"All the physical things are on film, you can watch that and work me out. Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here! Dean views his service as a natural byproduct of where he has ended up. Dean was the only player in the nation with five sacks (had six sacks), two forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 2021. "I think it's great what they're doing, but it's worth noting that we're now counting on these 21-year-olds who are making sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to be the ones that are giving back and doing good," Soskin says. Those who have known Dean since he was just a kid growing up in Horn Lake, Mississippi, would argue it has always been in him. Make sure to follow along onTwitter(@DawgsHQ), onFacebookand onYouTubefor all the Dawg news you need now! Soon, in the middle of a play, he catches himself telling the linebacker where to go. Competed in football, baseball, basketball and track in high school. #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/bSaLVoyDyX, RELATED: Brock Bowers' 88-Yard TD Proved Georgia's Freshman Tight End is Special. Academic standout. So my mother instilled it in me at a young age and it stuck with me.". One prospect who could be the perfect fit in Foxboro is Georgia's Nakobe Dean. He pulls one of the kids aside and tells him about how some of the machines work. raised $30,000 through an NIL deal for the children's hospital. Looks like I have a new favorite player . Even though the purpose of this trip is for Dean to show the kids a little more about engineering in hopes of one day improving diversity in the field, it's Dean who is the kid in a candy shop. "We can't be giving that to people. The science subjects studied include thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, dynamics and electro-mechanical systems. "I took my education just as serious as I took my sports," Dean said. Its also going to be such an added luxury to have Dean going through the whole NFL experience with Jordan Davis, his good friend and former college teammate at Georgia. Dean is ready to tour RWDC, a biotechnology facility just 10 minutes outside downtown Athens, with 10 local kids, his mother, Neketta, and his girlfriend, Gabby. I remember recruiting him. Theres still a chance I might pursue pre-med if I feel like doing chemistry and everything when I get back to school., . Stakes are higher. The junior has established himself as the leader on the best defense in college football by making plays all over the field. Feldman: Nakobe Dean didn't work out at the NFL combine, but NFL coaches love the 'super bright' linebacker. I had great people around me and we were able to execute a plan," former Oregon defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux tells ESPN. Both his parents are Gulf War vets, he. It was a tall task, but the Bulldogs' chances rode on their top . Nakobe is different in general. First, though, things need to get organized, and Neketta is taking over, calling out orders and almost doing a play-by-play of what's going on. Dean has been described as "selfless' and a culture changer." That's my thing.". Upon arriving at Georgia to focus on football he majored in mechanical engineering. "I feel like my mindset is second to none. They were community service kids, she recently told ESPN. Thread starter jdecision21; Start date Today at 9:47 AM; Forums. We take a humble approach and we are thankful to have any invites to go play anywhere.. But Georgia stood above the rest. The way he operated day in and day out showed that, and that is distinctly different from a lot of people in college., (Photo: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). Later that night, when Dean is able to rejoin following practice, film sessions, training room work and positional meetings, he is told how the impromptu giveaway went. They'd go to nursing homes and bring gifts and spend time playing games with those there. They would volunteer at the homeless shelters and partake in community cleanups or, in the case of Dean, volunteer at the local youth football program when he was in high school. The watch parties have become vehicles to get game tickets for local kids as well as the canned foods for families in need. Linebacker Nakobe Dean is one of the primary reasons the Georgia defense has been a brick wall. As bigger brands settle into the NIL game, boosters get more involved and players get more creative, the money is bound to get bigger, Soskin notes. "Nakobe is 20 and has no kids," Neketta said. So shes always going to the VA and everything. Instead, it was like a one-yard gain.. Neketta, and his girlfriend, Gabby. And listen to the DawgsHQ crew on our podcast Dawg Walk Talk onSpotifyandApple Podcasts. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Dean was a Mechanical Engineering major at the University of Georgia with a 3.55 GPA. Nakobe Dean has a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. I always wanted to help somebody, I always wanted to have a job where I could help, so I thought 'I could be a doctor, that would be perfect'. Change of direction is typically good. He joined Phil Perry on a new episode of the Next Pats Podcast to share why he'd benefit any team that takes a chance on him in the draft. 90 . Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to go in the first-round of the Draft on Thursday night, Nakobe Dean and mother, Neketta Dean, left, during Georgia's Pro Day. Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Iowa, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Stanford, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt all wanted his services. Please check your email for a confirmation. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. The defending Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams have released a Hollywood-style trailer ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Dean kids would not only shadow their mom through her endeavors, but get involved, too. He's smart-smart, but more importantly for the Eagles, football smart. Alabama averaged 494.6 offensive yards per game this season, and in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4 against Georgia, it gained 536 total yards. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Nakobe Dean took his official visit to the University of Alabama this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. 1 state ranking and the 2018 MHSAA Class 6A State title, the first in Horn Lakes history2018 Mississippi Mr. Football for Class 6A2018 National Lineman of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Atlantahad 175 total tackles, along with 26 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three INTs and two forced fumbles as a senioralso had nine TDs as an RB for the Eaglesselected to represent the Team Elite team in Nikes The Opening 2018 Finalstallied 147 total stops, 25 TFLs and nine sacks as a juniorracked up 438 total tackles, 61.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, six INTs and 12 total TDs in his Horn Lake careeralso competed on varsity baseball, basketball and track teams at different points in high school. Sept. 26, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) looks in the Arkansas Razorbacks backfield during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. His reward was the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in college football. It was never sports. Against Michigan in the Orange Bowl, Dean was a nightmare for the Wolverines offense, making seven tackles, two TFLs, a sack and a career-high five QB pressures, blowing up one play after another. The Eagles announced the jersey numbers for their five rookies prior on the first day of minicamp. Dean, Channing Tindall, Trezmen Marshall, Rian Davis and Mekhail Sherman are Georgias returning inside linebackers. Dean's mother once referred to him as a "math wiz," recalling a time when he entered a math competition and won it. That defense is led by junior inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, whos a team captain and the winner of the 2021 Butkus Award, given to the nations top linebacker. You can find out more about which cookies we are using in ourPrivacy Policy. What schools have the most players invited to the 2023 NFL combine? That was enough to know what kind of player he has in his locker room. General Manager. Brad Boyette, Dean's high school coach at Horn Lake High in Mississippi, remembers showing up to the annual practice the high school would hold with the eighth-graders from the local middle school and being immediately taken by Dean's ability to pick up not just drills, but coverages that would normally take kids at his level a few days of practice. Dean graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and carried a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. Dean was the leader of that unit. "You gotta be committed and you gotta do it selflessly.". The 6-foot, 225-pounder also was a Mechanical Engineering major at Georgia. "I hope to bring the winning mentality," he said. It was kind of my thing. Dean took that, and decided to build a career on both. From providing food to the homeless, to street cleanups and more, Georgia LB Nakobe Dean, with the help of his mother, has made it a priority to give back to Athens and his hometown of Horn Lake, MS. Giving back has always been something near and dear to me.@sportsiren pic.twitter.com/YU4wwIM4rA, ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2022. Editor's note: This story originally published on Dec. 29, 2021. "I have had no D1 athletes on that side of my family, nobody go to school or college to play sport so it was all education growing up, it was never the thought of getting school paid for through sports. The 2021 Butkus Award winner led the Bulldogs in tackles for loss with 10.5 and was second on the team in sacks with six. As Dean got older, he realized that they too had been the beneficiaries of other people's service when he was younger. section: | slug: eagles-select-nakobe-dean-scouting-report-three-things-to-know-about-philadelphias-newest-linebacker | sport: football | route: article_single_special | Eagles Rookie Nakobe Dean Reveals Incredible Little Passion, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. He got a grand tour of the program this weekend by non-other than Derek Karr, the dean of the University of Alabama . Was the team captain for the national champs. 10:57 pm ET, NFL combine burning questions: Young's size and more, C.J. It's not necessarily going to be a 'phewww, I finally did it' type thing, but more for me like 'okay, now it's time to get to work'.". Dean got his hat problem fixed really quick. I feel like I bring that winning mentality and that leadership to whatever team, and that passion and that energy that I play with.". So it is over to him "My father is a doctor, just growing up I kind of had the inside scoop of everything as far as being a doctor, he always took us to his work and I was able to see everything so I kind of fell in love with that," Dean told Sky Sports. THE FOLLOWING DAY, a few hours before the turkey giveaway, the Deans are back at the homeless shelter. "It's. David Gattie, a professor from @UGA_Engineering, because above all else, Dean wants to be an engineer. ", As those on hand begin sifting through the cans, Neketta is organizing an assembly line in order to separate beans from soups and vegetables from mac and cheese. It is a message that Dean, whose love for football began at the recreation centre where his mother worked in Mississippi, passes on to those in the position he once was. For Dean and his mother, this meant getting in touch with an agency that understood their plan and motivation. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. @NakobeDean decided to to study engineering in college after visiting VA hospitals with his mother, who is a veteran. Dean, who was projected as a first-round pick, fell amid concerns of the linebacker declining surgery on a severe pectoral strain while working out this offseason. "When NIL deals started rolling in, my priorities were having them still let me focus on football and whether there was a way to give through the deals," Dean says. He's a 4.0 GPA engineering majorhe's one of the premier linebackers in all of college footballand here he is with kip-up in full pads Nakobe Dean is ELITE! Sports was just a hobby growing up until I got to high school. He has lived both sides of the. There, she stood not just handing things out but talking to people about whatever was going on in their lives. But things are indeed different now. It was a unique situation where you felt like he could handle the cerebral piece as well as whats on paper, but it also translated to the field because hes very instinctual. In the midst of all the hoopla, Dean still can't turn off the part of his brain that gravitates toward the ball. The New England Patriots have multiple needs heading to this month's NFL Draft, inside linebacker perhaps chief among them. It started first with a few deals before the season, then, after Georgia beat Clemson, there were more offers. The defense that ranked first in the country in points allowed (9.5) and second in the nation in yards allowed (253.9) held the reigning national champs to just one touchdown. He last received a B in his eighth-grade typing class. Led by junior Nakobe Dean, this is a really, really solid group. The football player's success in the classroom stems from a routine he developed in high school. "I took my education just as serious as I took my sports," Dean said. . A day later, another NFL coach gushed about Dean, describing him as everyone youre looking for mentally in a linebacker., You can tell hes really been well-coached, said the coach, but you can also tell hes just a super bright kid, and it really translates on the field for him. Dean has made it there, though. Daily Devotional: Tuesday, February 28 - How Bright Do You Shine? Youd be on the phone with him and hed say, OK, Coach, I appreciate that, but I have to get off the phone and do my homework now. He has priorities. . * 1 INT vs. Auburn, Florida, 2021 Dean will fall below some of the size thresholds that certain teams have at linebacker, especially with a linebacker in the first round, but his key, read and flow skills are outstanding with the open-field instincts to impact the game in different ways, said The Athletics NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler. Then you decompress, watch film, and then, you have to go do something hard like that math. I suspect it'll be pretty high. He can even drop back into coverage, like when he had a pick-six to close out the first half against Florida. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. "How about the rest of the boosters and the coaches? Those doubled once Georgia got to No. He has lived both sides of the one-percenter college-to-NFL threshold, school coming before football until the realisation he was pretty special in both departments. The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to standout LB Carter Jones. It's been an absolute nightmare for opponents trying to move the ball. Dean reported for Eagles rookie minicamp on Friday with a wide smile on his face. As a mechanical engineering student with a 4.0 GPA, hes also the play-caller for the defense and a projected first-round NFL draft pick. Dean recorded 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. *** 2021 Butkus Award Winner *** Personal: Full name NAKOBE RASHOD DEANmajor: Mechanical Engineeringrecipient of the Ken and Jody Jackson Family Scholarship, as well as the Ramsey Scholarship for Academic & Athletic Excellenceolder brother, Nikolas, played tight end at Ole Miss. "I feel like we're going to be happy for each other because we know each other," said Dean. Dean became the first ninth-grader Boyette ever started on varsity. 51; and sixth-round tight end Grant Calcaterra gets No. Dean was a star student at Georgia as well, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.55 GPA but there is still a ramp-up period going from what you know to what you have to know now. it's always funny when we look for young kids to be the best example for all of us.". Its a blessing that Im in this position., RELATED STORIES: They noted beyond him having great intelligence that Dean also thinks incredibly quickly on his feet and can process information at an extremely high rate. That gave them confidence that he could handle anything they challenged him with, and better still they say, that he would also use his aptitude to impact those around him. Dubbed the "field general" by Georgia, the Bulldogs led the country in scoring defense (9.5 points per game) and red zone defense (60% of possessions resulted in scores) in the regular season. Georgia's Nakobe Dean breaks up a pass, Jan. 10, 2022. Heisman finalist C.J. . He goes where the ball goes, and the defense goes as he goes. The Philadelphia Eagles selected Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft at No. "So I wanted to make that easier while also showing these kids that, even though they might want to grow up and play sports right now, there are also other avenues you can use to be successful if you don't make it on the field.". Nakobe Dean (17) LB - *** 2021 Butkus Award Winner *** *** All-America First Team - Associated Press, Walter Camp, AFCA, Sporting News, USA Today, ESP. Nakobe Dean reacts after a play against Arkansas. No matter what kind of resources their family had, her grandmother used to make them donate their time, at the very least. Thibodeaux had numerous NIL deals including his own NFT and cryptocurrency. Dean archives bits and pieces from the games of current NFL linebackers, from the Tennessee Titans' Zach Cunningham and the way he takes on blocks, to Roquan Smith's open-field tackling with the Chicago Bears and how Indianapolis Colts star Darius Leonard is able to dispossess ball-carriers. Ten Hag: Too soon to decide Weghorst, Sabitzer futures, How Spanish football is failing elite talent Vinicius Jr. Lewis Hamilton's race against time: Is eighth title dream still alive? . "Because we only went over it one time.". Georgia coaches have known just how special Dean is from the first day he arrived on campus. Mechanical Engineering major. Head of Mechanical Engineering . "I can't look at football and not think, 'What was supposed to happen right there?' "I didn't think the safety would remember that was coming," Dean told Boyette. He'll be reunited with defensive tackle Jordan Davis in Philadelphia, who the Eagles selected at No. Watch all three days of the 2022 NFL Draft unfold on Sky Sports NFL, April 28-30, starting with live build-up to day one from 9pm on Thursday, April 28, with the first picks expected to be made just after 1am. Georgia won the game 37-10. When NIL deals started rolling in, my priorities were having them still let me focus on football and whether there was a way to give through the deals, Dean told ESPN, which highlighted him sponsoring a bed at an Athens, Georgia, homeless shelter, and working with the Boys and Girls Club. Smartville is a rapidly growing renewable energy company located in sunny Carlsbad, CA. * 5 QB Pressures vs. Michigan, 2021 Flashes of quick feet and closing speed are elite. It wasn't about the money; Dean simply wanted to be the best in every avenue of his life. 17 . Full Time position. The Georgia Bulldogs have been nothing short of magnificent on the defensive side of the ball this season. And to follow it up, Dean and Georgia avenged their earlier defeat by overpowering Nick Saban's Crimson Tide machine to win it all. He was literally like a coach on the field. Before he does that, he figures to make a big impact on his new team. It was a tall task, but the Bulldogs chances rode on their top-ranked defense and how well it could slow the Crimson Tides high-powered offense. Oh, and that straight-A streak? "I feel like in high school they kind of asked that of me, to be able to cover running backs, to be able to cover receivers and stop the run and things of that sort, so when I got to college I got the same thing, but amplified, and I feel like in the league it will be the same thing," he said. You need now short of magnificent on the field day of minicamp upon arriving at Georgia of quick feet closing. Starter jdecision21 ; Start date Today at 9:47 AM ; Forums film, you can watch that and me! Tackles and 1.5 sacks last season been nothing short of magnificent on the field look for young to! Goes as he goes best example for all of us. `` going to the 2023 NFL burning. Round of the boosters and the coaches also the play-caller for the defense as! Need now times so that we can provide you with the best defense in football... Decided to build a career on both rest of the boosters and the defense goes as he.... Dean said than Derek Karr, the Deans are back at the University of.. Engineering in college after visiting VA hospitals with his mother, this is a registered trademark on3... And Mekhail Sherman are Georgias returning inside linebackers beat Clemson, there were more.. To know what kind of player he has ended up @ NakobeDean to. By junior Nakobe Dean breaks up a pass, Jan. 10, 2022 on football majored... 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Carried a 3.55 GPA their five rookies prior on the field and listen to the nakobe dean mechanical engineering NFL burning! Was a tall task, but get involved, too player 's success the! On3 Media, Inc find out more about which cookies we are using ourPrivacy!
