Could Draft Prospect Fall To Eagles Like Nakobe Dean Did Three Years Ago?

Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean can relate to what Oregon prospect Derrick Harmon is going through.

Harmon was medically red-flagged just days before the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday. The defensive tackle is expected to be a top 20 draft pick and is ranked as the 24th-best prospect in the final top 150 rankings by NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. This latest report could cause him to slide. Perhaps even as far into the range of the Eagles, who own the 32nd and final pick of the first round, or close enough to try to trade up to get.

The medical red flag doesn’t mention what Harmon’s issue might be – and the word “might” cannot be stressed enough.

Whatever it is, it could lead to that awkward and sad moment that Dean experienced in 2022. The linebacker from Georgia attended the 2022 draft in Las Vegas and had to endure the cameras that kept panning to him as his slide down the board continued.

The medical report that sabotaged his draft status was for shoulder and knee injuries. It said Dean declined surgery on the shoulder, which led to his fall into the middle of the third round, where the Eagles loved the value and took him with the 83rd overall pick.

The concerns proved unfounded. Dean showed up at the team’s rookie minicamp a week after the draft and was healthy his entire rookie year. The last two years, however, have ended with him on injured reserve, but he was mostly healthy all of last season and was one of the Eagles’ defensive leaders and finished with 128 tackles, three sacks, and an interception.

“It's definitely something that will stick with me,” Dean a week after the draft ended in 2022. “It's not my primary or secondary source of motivation, but it's definitely something that will stick with me throughout my playing career.”

The same fate may befall Harmon, who is expected to attend the draft in Green Bay. Chances of him sliding all the way out of the first round are probably slim, because the Eagles would probably snap him up if they stay at 32.

There’s no question that, if healthy, Harmon would be a solid addition to the Eagles’ front. There hasn’t been much of a connection between him and the Eagles, but that doesn’t mean general manager Howie Roseman and his staff haven’t done their homework.

Harmon is 6-4, 313 pounds, though his weight has been somewhat of an issue in college. He is just 21 and, after transferring from Michigan State to Oregon, had 45 tackles, 10.2 for loss, and five sacks.