47. So it was no surprise that when NIL became a reality and offers started coming in, the Deans would look at it not as a way to primarily make money, but rather as a way to keep doing what they had been doing ever since Dean was a kid. Dean has been described as "selfless' and a culture changer." As the TV crew breaks down Tom Brady highlights -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing the New York Giants, who have two Georgia alums, J.R. Reed and Tae Crowder -- Dean watches intently. 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. (via @Eagles) pic.twitter.com/AmVs4zkRY3. Dean reported for Eagles rookie minicamp on Friday with a wide smile on his face. He finished with four tackles Monday night, after leading the team in tackles (68) and sacks (six) for the season. Follow Bruce on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB. He has been privy to the evolution of the off-ball linebacker and the added necessity to be able to join the line of scrimmage, operate off the edge, or retreat into coverage. "You had police pulling Black people over for no reason," she says. 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? The Philadelphia Eagles selected Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third round of the 2022 . 17 . Linebacker Nakobe Dean is one of the primary reasons the Georgia defense has been a brick wall. Hell look to match previous defensive studs who wore that number like Corey Simons, Darren Howard, and Mike Golic. They won this game for us.. He still has a desire to finish it - and maybe even pre-med - for all the right reasons. jdecision21. Uiagalelei thanks God for challenges: Jesus put me in this position The original plan was to get 10 meals from the restaurant that was going to host Monday night's watch party and take them to the shelter. Associated Press, Walter Camp, AFCA, Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS ***. Dean was a Mechanical Engineering major at the University of Georgia with a 3.55 GPA. I dont think Im going to go in and be looked at as a leader. Dean graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and carried a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. Thats not something he would shy away from. Dean is majoring in mechanical engineering, but that did not stop him from picking an Alabama hat after the national championship. I thought at a young age, Dang, whats a way I could help them build prosthetics? It kind of came back out when I was picking my major for college.. Listed on 2023-02-18. I feel like my passion is second to none and the effort I play with.". I faced a lot of adversity from an academic standpoint there are a lot of goals that I set that I wasnt able to attain, but it does nothing but make me stronger., Dean arrived at Georgia wanting to become a doctor but also had a strong interest in pursuing mechanical engineering. But on Monday night, the Bulldogs held the Tide to just 399 total yards and only 30 rushing yards. Thread starter jdecision21; Start date Today at 9:47 AM; Forums. Dont be surprised if Dean is running someones defense as a rookie. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. For Dean and his mother, this meant getting in touch with an agency that understood their plan and motivation. Football . I had to thank God, he said in his postgame press conference. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. There's a chance he may not slide all the way down to the Patriots at No. Chris Simms' 2022 NFL Draft top five quarterbacks. Dean has made it there, though. "I feel like we set the bar, and now there's going to be more opportunities, athletes are going to be more confident taking them. Nakobe Dean still has a couple semesters left to complete his mechanical engineering degree at Georgia. 10:57 pm ET, NFL combine burning questions: Young's size and more, C.J. Preparing for an SEC opponent like Kentucky or Florida the same week as an engineering test gives me a headache just thinking about it. The Dean kids would not only shadow their mom through her endeavors, but get involved, too. Dean can be your general and your enforcer, with the lightning acceleration to close space in an instant, the lateral smoothness and diagnosis to be effective in coverage, finisher power to rattle tight ends and running backs, and gap accuracy and timing to rush and stunt as a blitzer in the way so common to Kirby Smart's Bulldogs defense. "The visit was great," Dean said. I'm most intrigued by Dean's Wonderlic score when he goes through the draft process. 1, Report: PGA Tour trimming some fields, ending cuts, Trade tracker: Kings' Quick era ends with deal to Jackets, Rodgers out of isolation, call on '23 coming 'soon enough'. Flashes of quick feet and closing speed are elite. "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.". "You do all kind of crazy workouts, it would get to the point where the workout would be so crazy you're questioning 'why are we working out like this?'. He is expected to return for the start of summer practice and the 2021 season. Looks like I have a new favorite player . Some programs have partnered with companies, while others have brought in speakers. So shes always going to the VA and everything. Dean, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.5 GPA, was the first name . Dean, a junior linebacker, is a star on the nation's top defense, one which is preparing to play Alabama for a national championship on Monday. Mechanical engineering emerged as the winner. In 13 games this season, he has recorded 61 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions, including a pick-six. He understands things he gets it, and he plays super fast.. In design, the emphasis is on project work and in both the first and second years, you . My mom is a big Belichick fan," Dean said. "We gotta check the dates on the cans, and if the cans have dents, throw them out," she says. . 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. Powered by. They were community service kids, she recently told ESPN. Nakobe Dean reacts after a play against Arkansas. The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to standout LB Carter Jones. 2020: Semifinalist for the Butkus Award, which recognizes the nations best linebackermade great progress in his second seasonstarted all 10 games and played 76 percent of Georgias total defensive snaps in the regular season, tops among linebackersthe Bulldogs' leading tacklerwith 71 total stops and 13 QB pressurescareer-high 15 tackles vs. Florida, 14 stops in the Bulldogs' win at Kentucky and 12 more in victory over Mississippi Stateteam-high seven stopsin Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Cincinnatialso had four QB pressures vs. the Bearcatsone of his seven tackles was a key 2nd-down stop on UC's final drivehad four tackles and a QB pressure in win over Auburnthree solo stops and a QB pressure vs. Tennesseeled team in tackles with a then-career-best seven stops, including an assisted tackle for a 2-yard loss vs. Arkansasalso credited with two QB pressures vs. the Razorbackshad five stops, including a QB sack for a 7-yard loss, and three QB pressures vs. Alabamaearned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll for Fall 2020. We take a humble approach and we are thankful to have any invites to go play anywhere.. "On Draft day, first round, second round, I know I'm going to have a chance to be on a team. He pulls one of the kids aside and tells him about how some of the machines work. "I feel like we're going to be happy for each other because we know each other," said Dean. "So if he's going to have to pay most of the NIL money back, why not use it to give in a different way?". 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. 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. "I'm going to bring that winning mentality to the NFL, my leadership," he explains. I always tell them I want them to be better than me, not like me, better than me. It was the defense who kept us in this game, said that former walk-on, QB Stetson Bennett, in his postgame press conference, while we were stumbling over our own feet the entire first half and then starting out in the second half. . Dean is projected to be the leader of Georgias stout linebacker room. You definitely felt that from him, and we knew that about him before we even drafted him. Upon arriving at Georgia to focus on football he majored in mechanical engineering. Kirby Smart's squad has surrendered just 53 points and 1,813 yards through eight games. Graduate from Faculty of Engineering Cairo University. Please check your email for a confirmation. Scout after scout raved about his instinctive play at the second level, which allowed him to move a tick faster than most to the ball. Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 6, 2022. 2019: Co-winner of Defensive Newcomer of the Year award, given at teams post-season awards galaplayed in all 14 games and finished with 25 total stops, including 1.5 tackles for losssolo TFL came in Sugar Bowl win over Baylorone of four Bulldogs to have a team-high six tackles in shutout of Kentucky..also forced a fumble on a UK punt returnhad two tackles and a QB pressure vs. Floridathree solo tackles and a pass breakup vs. Georgia Techalso had a QB pressure vs. Arkansas Stateenrolled at UGA in January and participated in Spring drillshad five tackles in the annual G-Day intrasquad gameNamed by National Football Foundation as a member of its inaugural Team of Distinction, recognizing high school scholar-athletes for their combination of athletic and academic performances, as well as service to their communities. "I took my education just as serious as I took my sports," Dean said. "He's a math whiz," Neketta says. Michigan running back Blake Corum also donated turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday to families in need. Dean's values were instilled by his mother Neketta at a young age. He had a script out there every day, wearing his helmet and shoulder pads. Philadelphia Eagles rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean was a mechanical engineer major at the University of Georgia. "You gotta be committed and you gotta do it selflessly.". . He didnt love the chemistry class he took, so he decided on mechanical engineering: I was interested in prosthetics, how they work and the design of them, so I just stuck to that.. There, she stood not just handing things out but talking to people about whatever was going on in their lives. Dean shares how the experience of interviewing with teams has gone and what those teams are saying to him about what they envision his role will be in the league. The 2020 Butkus Award semifinalist was the Bulldogs' leading tackler last season with 71 stops, including a team-high seven tackles in the win over No. One of the sports leading voices, he also is a sideline reporter for FOX College Football. 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. "It's just helped me understand scheme and strategy faster," Dean says. Dean owns a 3.53 GPA in Mechanical Engineering and has been on the UGA Dean's List and SEC and Athletic Director Honor Roll. I'd get his exams back and it would be 27 out of 27 correct. She claimed to have given him over $1,000 before his senior year of high school. (via @Eagles) pic.twitter.com/AmVs4zkRY3, Theres a joke in there somewhere about Nakobe Deans injury list, his NFL Draft drop before the Eagles picked him in the third round, and pursuing the opportunity to help himself regenerate.I made it on the Dawg Walk Talk Podcast this past week. Thats something Ive got to earn and get that trust from them.. It's why he eventually wants to start a scholarship at his high school, and use his engineering degree to make prosthetics for athletes who need them. Dean became the first ninth-grader Boyette ever started on varsity. Stroud keeps God first as he leads Ohio State. Nakobe Dean remembers his mother telling him his"mind would take him further than his feet" in life, such was the emphasis placed on education in a family absent of sporting reference points. I feel like I'll do whatever I need to do to be great and be one of the greatest ever to do it. 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. . "One of my goals next season is to establish myself as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Nakobe is both of those, said former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, now Oregons head coach. "Because we only went over it one time.". Dean has great instincts and speed, but he missed Georgias spring practice in 2021 with a torn labrum. Nakobe Dean took his official visit to the University of Alabama this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. The New England Patriots have multiple needs heading to this month's NFL Draft, inside linebacker perhaps chief among them. The junior has established himself as the leader on the best defense in college football by making plays all over the field. 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. Older . Those who know Dean best expect him to do just that in the NFL. Dean loves it. "We were at the forefront of it. Our back is really fast and that play shouldve gone for at least 20. Most definitely, Sirianni said of their relationship helping with the NFL transition. Dean stopped short of seeing how his studies in mechanical engineering may afford him unique insight into picking apart what opposing offenses are trying to do, but having such a demanding major has helped develop his mind to process so much information and manage everything that goes into staying on top of his game. Growing up, my mom is a veteran. 2023 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Her goal was two-fold -- raise money for the football program and bring officers into a shared space with a football team that was largely Black. They'd go to nursing homes and bring gifts and spend time playing games with those there. As Dean got older, he realized that they too had been the beneficiaries of other people's service when he was younger. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. Dean, who is a mechanical engineering major, slips on a fluorescent green hard hat and tilts it forward just enough so that, somehow, it looks cooler on him than it does on anyone else in the room. Dean views his service as a natural byproduct of where he has ended up. On the field, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is having himself a career-defining season. Bruce Feldman is the National College Football Insider for The Athletic. . "Nakobe is 20 and has no kids," Neketta said. 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. His priority is to be the best player he can possibly be and to be the best student. (Dean) ran with him stride for stride and then makes the tackle in open space. When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Nakobe Dean, they knew about his hard-nosed playing style and confident leadership. Was the team captain for the national champs. Thats definitely one less thing. 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. First-round defensive tackle Jordan Davis will wear No. But Dean does not need to tell you that. Welcome to the team !. What comes second nature to Dean is what Neketta has been doing her whole life. "That's Kobe Dean," she tells him. Neketta once organized a 5K run aimed at bringing together police and first responders and the local high school football team, which Dean was a part of. (Links below Apple listeners tap here)He practically gave his body to help Georgia win the title last season.I even wrote that his leadership skills and engineering prowess made him the Tony Stark of Georgia footballs National Championship defense.But I had no idea how accurate those passions are. Dean finished 2019 with 25 total tackles and played in all 14 games. Dean has been quizzed on both a lot. He was discussing his future plans, including a desire to possibly pursue a medical career after he goes back to school to complete his engineering degree. 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. Be looked at as a leader reason, '' Neketta says 2021 with a 4.0 GPA, was first! Over $ 1,000 before his senior year of high school with a smile... Gpa and carried a 3.55 GPA ; Dean said as he leads Ohio.... Kids would not only shadow their mom through her endeavors, but did! 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