In his first 2022 NFL mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has the Denver Broncos selecting Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean with the ninth overall pick in the first round (subscription required for link).
With Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell and Kenny Young all scheduled to become free agents this spring, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Denver address the linebacker position this offseason.
Dean (6-0, 225 pounds) totaled 168 tackles, 7.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown in three seasons (36 games) with the Bulldogs. He earned unanimous first team All-American honors in 2021 and won the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best linebacker.
Dean recorded two tackles in Georgia’s 33-18 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship game in December.
Todd McShay, Kiper’s colleague at ESPN, sent Liberty quarterback Malik Willis to the Broncos in his first 2022 NFL mock draft last month.
Kiper’s mock has Denver passing on this year’s QB options, as he believes the team is more likely to add a veteran through free agency or a trade. Instead, Kiper has the Broncos selecting “the draft’s best off-ball linebacker” in Dean.
Four quarterbacks — Willis (No. 11), Kenny Pickett (No. 18), Matt Corral (No. 20) and Sam Howell (No. 28) — go off the board later in the first round of Kiper’s mock draft.
Last year, Kiper’s first mock draft had the Broncos selecting linebacker Micah Parsons. Denver ended up passing on Parsons to pick Alabama cornerback Pat Surtain II at No. 9 overall.
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