The first time this observer interacted with Nakobe Dean in person was at the 2018 Nike Opening Camp in Atlanta.
The signs were all clear back then. They were blaring in a 120-point font.
Dean performed up to his standing as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker at the event. The testing. The cat-and-mouse game. Even in frigid conditions.
When his position drills ended, he was a popular interview subject. Reporters that covered every school in the country sought him out.
Alabama. Auburn. Florida. FSU. Miami. LSU. Oklahoma. Ole Miss. Georgia. Tennessee. Texas. Pick a school.
That’s when players as highly rated as Dean do a couple of interviews and dip out. Or just conduct a group interview and bounce.
Not this fella. He must have conducted 15-to-20 back-to-back interviews that Sunday morning at Buford High School. Candid. Smiling. Gracious. They could have all been NFL general managers at the combine.
Dean stood in a winter coat and graciously granted every request. If a reporter from the Buford Middle School Gazette (if there is such a thing) would have called on him, they would have treated them no differently than if they were representing ESPN or the NFL Network.
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