One of the main storylines from Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft centered on the lengthy slide of former George standout Nakobe Dean. The new Philadelphia Eagles linebacker was projected to be a first-round selection in this year’s draft, but several red flags made a multitude of teams think twice about picking him.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted last week that Dean had suffered a notable pec strain injury earlier this year, as it went on to limit his participation in Georgia’s Pro Day last month. Dean opted against having surgery on it, which pushed away multiple teams from electing to draft him over the opening two rounds.

Eagles rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis had a front-row seat to watch Dean emerge as one of the more versatile linebackers in the SEC in recent memory. As he noted on Day 1 of the Eagles’ rookie minicamp schedule, Davis sees that his former Georgia teammate sure will silence plenty of doubters.

“Nakobe is a first-round caliber player,” Davis said. “I believe that, no matter where he got picked. It doesn’t matter where you start. It’s about how you finish. And I’m sure Nakobe is going to finish as one of the greats when all is said and done.”

On Dean’s part, the 2022 third-round pick is not slated to have any restrictions over the Eagles’ three-day rookie minicamp. In the big picture, he is aiming to make the most out of his upcoming run in the NFL, and overall, he has seen that there have not been multiple major differences between his time so far in Philadelphia and his run at Georgia.

“I’m going to do everything, and I’m going to be part of the team,” Dean said on Friday.

“The only different part of that is I’ve been in college for three years, and I’m on a new team learning a new system with different people. Other than that, it’s still football. The details are put under a microscope or viewed as if they are looking through a magnifying glass, but other than that, football is football. Everybody is better, and I expect that.”

All eyes sure will be on just how well Davis and Dean will mesh in Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s scheme this upcoming season.