‘The Engineer’: Eagles React to Nakobe Dean Leadership at Camp

Philadelphia Eagles second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean wants to know the playbook better than coach Sean Desai to prove to vets he knows what he's doing

PHILADELPHIA – If anyone could engineer a defense, you would think that an actual engineering major in college could.

OK, maybe not the same thing, but graduating with an engineering degree, the way Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean did from the University of Georgia, requires one thing that will certainly help him be the engineer of the Eagles’ defense – studying, lots and lots of studying.

“Football’s football,” said Dean following Sunday’s training camp practice. “Being an engineering major kind of helps me with the studying part of things, having to study every night, be in that playbook because I want to know the defense as good as the coordinator if not better.”

That’s a heady goal, to know more about the defense than the defensive coordinator himself, first-year DC Sean Desai, but his teammates don’t doubt he can do that, especially among those who have known him the longest, such as his former teammates at Georgia who are in Eagles colors now.

“I’m ready to follow him,” said first-round pick Nolan Smith. “He was the signal caller at Georgia for three years in a row and I know how hard coach (Kirby) Smart was on him and I know what he expects from himself.”

The Eagles will ask a lot of Dean in his second season. He will set the defense as the player who wears the green dot communication device inside his helmet to communicate in-game with Desai.

“Stay ready you don’t have to get ready,” said Smith. “My dog's been ready. He’s been doing this since Day 1. I’m not worrying about that.

“Certain people hold themselves to a high standard, and he’s an engineering major, so if you think his brain is worried about something like this, it ain’t. So, I’ll just say when you’re a high-standard person and hold yourself to a high standard, people will follow behind you every day. That’s what Nakobe is for me.”

Dean is also winning over his veteran teammates, not always an easy thing to do.

"Oh yeah, I'm excited for him,” said defensive end Josh Sweat. “I mean, he's already taken control from the calls and you know, just knowing everything and getting everybody on the same page.

“You can tell he's done it before. You can tell he's a leader and he's got to do big things. He's gonna be big for us. He knows he's ready."

Dean is in an interesting position in that there are two legacy players lining up in front of him - Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham - as well as an experienced safety in Terrell Edmunds behind him.

“You have to earn their respect,” said Dean. “It’s a new defense for everybody. The more I know, the more I command the huddle, the more I get the play calls out, the more checks I make, the more confidence I build in them, and the more respect I get from them.”

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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