Nakobe Dean is the linebacker every NFL franchise needs

Your NFL franchise needs Nakobe Dean. And if your franchise doesn’t think they need Dean, it’s because they don’t know they need him yet.

Look at the various “needs” for NFL teams this coming season and it’s hard to find a team that doesn’t need help at linebacker.

Some teams like the Texans have so many holes that while a linebacker is a need, there are other positions that need to be prioritized meaning they are unlikely to press the button on a first-round linebacker. But still, the point remains – who doesn’t need a linebacker like Nakobe Dean? Yes, nobody. Everybody needs and wants a Nakobe Dean. Even if they don’t know it yet.

Before we get to where Nakobe Dean is likely to play his football on a Sunday, let’s wind the clock back a bit.

Dean arrived in Athens as a highly-graded recruit but yet his freshman year, by comparison, got off to a relatively slow start with 14 solo tackles and zero sacks in his first year in the SEC. However, all that was to change in his sophomore year when Dean lifted his game to another level, tallying 71 tackles (39 solo) and 1.5 sacks. Those numbers got the 6’0, 225-pound Mississippi native noticed both in the SEC and nationally.

The question was, could Dean carry this form into his Junior year? Well, the answer to that was a resounding yes, he could. Nakobe Dean became the leader of this historic Georgia football defense in 2021.

On his way to winning a National Championship with the Dawgs, Nakobe Dean would rack up 72 tackles (36 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, 28 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, and two interceptions. This would earn Dean not just a Championship ring but also a Butkus Award.

If Dean’s Sophomore year in Athens had NFL Scouts curious, his Junior year had them jumping up and down with excitement and cemented his place as the number one linebacker in this year’s draft class.