Report: Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich Gushes Over UGA Defender

On Wednesday, Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, along with at least 10 more Falcons’ personnel, spent the day in Athens at the Georgia Bulldogs’ Pro Day.

The Bulldogs have several players the Falcons could be interested in with the No. 15 pick and beyond including edge rushers Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams, and possibly safety Malaki Starks.

Starks in particular got the attention of Ulbrich during drills.

"Goodness gracious," Graham Coffey reported Ulbrich as saying via X. "That's different. That might be the safest pick in the draft."

The Falcons have a long history of passing over Georgia Bulldogs players, but with roughly a dozen Falcons in attendance on Wednesday, that could change this year.

At the combine, it was Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News who placed Starks in his "losers" bracket, with a very lukewarm take on the potential first rounders own showing. However, that might have simply opened the door for more possibilities at No. 15.

"Starks, out of Georgia, is another do-everything SEC East safety prospect, but the athleticism, speed and measurables ended up disappointing," Iyer wrote via The Sporting News. "He is still a first-rounder, but the gap keeps closing between him and Emmanwori."

He measured 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds at the NFL Combine with a 4.5 forty and 4.45 shuttle. Those numbers are roughly average for a safety.

Emmanwori however was on a different level.

Emmanwori measured 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds with a 4.38 forty, a 43-inch vertical, and a combine-best 11’ 6” standing broad jump.

The Falcons real pivot point if they do indeed opt to draft a safety will be whether or not Nick Emmanwori is still available when they pick 15th overall.

It’s not all about the measurables though, and Ulbrich along with Falcons scouts are putting in the time to get a closer look at Starks and his teammates.

Safety is considered a non-premium position in the NFL, but general manager Terry Fontenot has displayed several times in his tenure that he’s not as concerned with positional value as he is with getting the best prospect available.

The Falcons have a gaping hole at safety. If Starks or Emmanwori fits the criteria that Fontenot and Ulbrich are looking for, they may opt for a safety over an edge rusher they’re not in love with.

They won’t draft a Georgia Bulldog simply to placate a vocal portion of their local fanbase, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to have a little positive PR for a team in desperate need of a boost.