In a perfect world for ESPN’s Todd McShay — Nakobe Dean would be selected by the New England Patriots in a few weeks.
The speedy Georgia linebacker was named the best in his positional group last season and he was the top player in college football’s most dominant defense. McShay believes Dean would excel the most and be the best fit with the Patriots — a team that desperately needs speed at the position.
“The one player I would kill to see with the Patriots — just because I love him and know where he would excel the most would be in New England with Bill — would be (Georgia’s) Nakobe Dean,” McShay said.
Dean joined Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston on the Next Pats Podcast to discuss numerous topics, including the Patriots and the conversation he’s had with them.
“I definitely enjoyed talking ball with them,” Dean said, transcribed by Pats Pulpit.
Bill Belichick and Kirby Smart have a relationship, along with a similar scheme they use on defense.
“Everything that they do is kind of from under the same tree,” Dean said about New England and Georgia. “I remember talking to the coach, he was like, ‘What was this check when you go empty?’ I’m like, ‘If it’s this, you check this.’ And he was like, ‘Where do you think it came from?’ I’m like, ‘Uh, I don’t know,’ and he was like, ‘We made it up.’
“They kind of run the same system as far as defense, and Coach [Kirby] Smart actually busted in on me when I was meeting with them. They looked like they had been friends for a long time. You could tell that they were very acquainted with each other. They seem to have the same philosophy when it comes to playing defense, when it comes to playing football. So, that’s great.”
The biggest knock on Dean has been his size, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the best defensive players in the toughest collegiate division.
“I feel like if you can play, you can play no matter what your body says,” Dean said about his dimensions. “If you can play ball, you can play ball. If you can ball out, you can ball out.
“Looking back on my college career, if I did good it wasn’t going to say, ‘It was because I was 6-2, 230 and I can run like crazy.’ If I did bad, I wouldn’t be like, ‘It’s because I’m 5-11, 230.’ Nothing would have gone back to my size. It’s all about how you work and how you perform on the field.”
Dean’s draft projection is unpredictable, but it’s difficult to image he’d fall down to the No. 21 pick. The only way he would drop would be his size — which could be a huge positive for the Patriots.
