Georgia's Dean joins White, Cine in entering NFL draft early

All-American linebacker Nakobe Dean is forgoing his senior season at Georgia to enter the 2022 NFL Draft, he announced Friday.

Dean becomes the third Bulldog to turn pro early, joining running back Zamir White and safety Lewis Cine. Dean is widely expected to be a first-round pick and the first linebacker to come off the board.

Dean put together a monstrous junior season for the national champions, posting 72 tackles, six sacks, six pass breakups, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He won the 2021 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and helped the Bulldogs rank second in defense nationally.

The 21-year-old Mississippi native had one of his finest performances at the Orange Bowl against Michigan, notching two tackles for loss, a sack, five quarterback pressures, and a forced fumble. He collected four tackles and a pass breakup against Alabama in the national title game.