The Atlanta Falcons selected safety DeMarcco Hellams in the 7th round of the 2023 NFL draft. He showed flashes as a rookie, starting four games and garnering 40 tackles.
The Falcons were pleased enough with what they saw that he was penciled in as the starting safety next to Jessie Bates heading into the 2024 season.
However, he suffered an injury in Atlanta’s preseason matchup vs the Miami Dolphins and missed the entirety of the season. The Falcons drafted Xavier Watts in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, with the hopes that he could compete for a starting role early this season.
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Coming off an injury and Watts getting the bulk of the pre-camp ink, Hellpams has flown under the radar. Don’t tell Hellams that. He’s healthy again and making waves at training camp.
Given the moniker “hitman Hellams,” he has gained a reputation for a physical play style and willingness to deliver some truly punishing hits. Head coach Raheem Morris noted that Hellams’s intensity is evident right away, although at times it’s not always welcome in practice situations.
“DeMarcco’s desire and aggression comes out right away, immediately sometimes, sometimes unprompted and sometimes unwanted,” Morris said in his presser this week. “But he’s definitely one of those guys who’s figured out how to practice… You never worried about him being physical at the point of attack. You always got to worry about him in practice, but he’s gotten so much better.”
Physicality in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball is good. It can lead to turnovers and forced incompletions. Hellams has already made his impact felt on that side of the ball during training camp.
On Day 2 of camp, Hellams knocked the ball out of Drake London’s hands on a play that would have been a forced fumble in a real game. Later that day, he had a hit on KhaDeral Hodge to force an incompletion. The ball bounced into the air but landed safely on the ground.
Going against Hellams in practice is preparing Atlanta’s wide receivers for real game action against other physical defenders.
“Going against a guy like Marco [DeMarcco] every day, it prepares me for the game. And sometimes you might not go against those type of safeties, you know what I’m saying, that wants to come down and hit, but I’m prepared either way.” Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair said.
Blair added that going against Hellams in practice helps him add physicality to his own game and that “Marco” helps him be prepared at all times.
Hellams’s physicality has taught quarterback Michael Penix Jr a valuable lesson.
“Don’t throw it across the middle late,” Penix responded when asked what it is like throwing to a wide receiver with DeMarcco Hellams in coverage. “But he usually at a safety position, so I’m usually throwing away from wherever he at.”
Penix has been elite at throwing outside the numbers in camp this offseason, and a product of it is not targeting the middle of the field, partially due to Hellams.
Atlanta is set to have a nice safety rotation this year with Jessie Bates, rookie Xavier Watts, veteran Jordan Fuller, and unsung hero DeMarcco Hellams.
