The accolades rain down for the 2021 Butkus Award winner. National champion linebacker Nakobe Dean was a menace to opposing offenses during his collegiate career at the University of Georgia, and it all culminated in an impressive final season for both he individually and the team. Dean was named a first-team All-American by virtually everybody including AP, ESPN and USA Today, and he was named SEC Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus.
It’s nothing new to him, as Dean was the 2018 Prep High School Butkus Award winner as well. He’s been the best at his job since he began doing it, and those sorts of traits tend to carry over into the professional ranks. Will it for Dean, and could it be with the Dallas Cowboys? Dallas just spent a first-round pick at the position, but if one considers Micah Parsons more of a unicorn who will play on the edge, nabbing Dean to patrol the zones in back of the line makes some sense. How much sense? A look into the film is in order.