Linebacker Nakobe Dean was widely expected to be a first-round pick last month, but he wound up falling to the third round amid reports that he was dealing with pectoral and knee injuries that created concerns for other teams.
After the Eagles ended his slide, Dean said that health concerns were invalid and that he planned to be a full participant at this weekend’s rookie minicamp. That’s turned out to be the case and Dean told reporters that the draft day drop will add fuel to the fire he has to succeed in the NFL.
“It’s definitely something that will stick with me,” Dean said, via EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s not my primary or secondary source of motivation — or my tertiary. But it’s definitely something that will stick with me throughout my playing career.”
If Dean shows the same kind of ability to impact games that he had at Georgia, playing time should be easy to come by in Philadelphia and he’ll have every opportunity to show the league that he should have heard his name called much earlier than the 83rd overall pick.