NFL Draft: Falcons Finish Rookie Class with 7th-Round Pair
To close out their 2023 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected safety DeMarcco Hellams out of Alabama and offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn from South Carolina with consecutive selections No. 224 and 225.
Measuring 6-1 and weighing 203 pounds at the NFL Combine, Hellams is a talented safety out of Alabama with experience on special teams. In 2022 he led Alabama in tackles with 108 [three for a loss] and started all 13 of the team's games.
Though not the flashiest of Alabama's defensive backs, his tackling will be welcomed in Atlanta as he will likely begin his career on special teams and hopefully develop more in coverage behind the team's free-agent signing, Jessie Bates III.
On the other side of the ball, Hellams' counterpart, Gwyn, is bringing physicality to the trenches on offense.
Overcoming some of his physical limitations, Gwyn was voted Second-Team All-SEC by coaches thanks to his exceptional run blocking. A skill that should fit in nicely with Arthur Smith's run-heavy scheme, which mauled defenses last season and just drafted star running back prospect Bijan Robinson in the first round.
The duo is joining the team's versatile draft class, which opened by selecting a couple of offensive players in the first two rounds, and then balanced their approach by taking defenders in rounds three and four.
Fans of the Falcons are hoping that this talented crop of rookies, headlined by heralded rusher Robinson, can help the team run away with the NFC South crown for the first time since 2016 and assert Atlanta as a young contender for years to come.
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