The Denver Broncos will have a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft for the second year in a row and the third time in the past five seasons.
With the No. 9 overall pick in the first round, the Denver Broncos will have many options available to them, as was the case last year.
In George Paton’s first draft as the team’s general manager, he was faced with the decision of taking a potential franchise quarterback, as both Justin Fields and Mac Jones were on the board or taking a guy like Micah Parsons, a player I made it clear at the time the team should take.
Instead, Paton went with Patrick Surtain and that was a pick that certainly paid off.
This year, he will be faced with similar questions. Does he take a quarterback such as Matt Corral or Malik Willis? Or does he set his sights on one of the top edge rushers in the class?
Though taking an edge rusher would fill a huge need for the team, there are suitable quarterbacks that could be available after the first round.
But for this year’s draft, the same case that I made last year for Parsons I will be making for another game-changing linebacker. That would be Georgia’s Nakobe Dean.
Dean stands at six feet tall but weighs just 225 pounds. Because of his smaller stature, many may be inclined to immediately overlook him as a first-round prospect, but that would be a massive mistake.
Dean was the 2021 Butkus Award winner, which is given to the nation’s top linebacker. He did that while putting together a stellar season at Georgia in which he had 72 tackles (10.5 for loss), six sacks and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He also forced three fumbles.
He was a key piece in the Bulldogs’ championship run and was the leader of the best defense in the country, one that is loaded with pro prospects.
Dean’s biggest strength is his speed. What he lacks in size he more than makes up for in speed and quickness. He is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker that has the speed and athleticism to cover the entire field.
Pro scouts may be worried about professional offensive linemen being able to push the smaller Dean around, a concern to be sure, but what he shows on film is the ability to easily beat most any player with his speed. He sheds blocks and always seems to be where he needs to be on the field.
On top of that, he brings the kind of energy and leadership that a defense thrives on. In other words, he is the linebacker the Broncos have been hunting for far too long.
Finally, he is an absolutely elite blitzer. His timing on the rush is impeccable and not only can he get after the quarterback, but he is an excellent tackler in space.
You can view a fantastic film study of Dean here and for a package of highlights to become more familiar with him, check this out.
In 2019, the Broncos had the No. 10 overall pick. It seemed that Michigan’s Devin Bush was the player to take. Instead, they traded back to No. 20 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and selected Noah Fant. The Steelers drafted Bush.
Last year, there were concerns and questions regarding Parsons and that could have helped Paton decide upon Surtain. But Parsons was the best defensive rookie the league has seen in a long time.
Now here we are, getting ready for another draft and the Broncos still need that potentially elite linebacker.
While the positions of quarterback end edge rusher are certainly sexier and overall, more difficult to come by, Dean is the right pick this year at No. 9.