Divine Deablo Emerging as Atlanta Falcons’ Defensive Anchor

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – Divine Deablo came to the Atlanta Falcons during free agency, but was not necessarily met with a whole lot of fanfare. The linebacker from Las Vegas had put together a steady career with the Raiders, but injuries robbed him of a more prominent start to his career. 

He has since become a focal point of this Falcons defense. 

Through four weeks, Deablo has anchored the center of the field for Atlanta. He is patrolling passing lanes and cleaning up running backs, so much so that head coach Raheem Morris called him a “tackling machine.” 

He has played all but one defensive snap for the Falcons this season, and he is fourth on the team in tackles (18), has a 0.5 sack, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery. But what makes Deablo so impressive is his ability in pass coverage, where he has three passes defended. 

“His pass defense has been elite,” Morris explained. “He's probably knocked down three or four balls up in the middle of the field. His vision back there and being able to move the quarterback, determine throws, take him away, really giving that body presence, that underneath body presence that you get from really great linebackers.”

Deablo has those tangible athletic traits that get defensive coordinators excited, and offensive minds shiver. The converted safety retained the range and ball skills of a defensive back, but has elite size for a linebacker at 6’3”, 223 pounds, with 33” arms (for comparison, Jake Matthews has 33 ⅓” arms). He can also fly on a football field, clocking in with a 4.45 40-yard dash at his pro day at Virginia Tech. 

“From the jump, when he got here, you could tell he’s a great athlete,” Kaden Elliss said about Deablo during training camp over the summer. “Coach calls him 'the avatar,' like he has long limbs, he’s fast, and he can cover. He played safety, and he’s a special, special athlete.”

Those special traits show up in the passing game. Quarterbacks have to account for him on every snap. With the unique combination of size and closeout speed, cornerback Dee Alford said these traits make Deablo the best defender against dig routes in the NFL. 

“With Deablo being there to protect us, we’re able to play free, and we don’t have to stress as much on certain routes,” Alford said about what makes Deablo special. “That man is different. Then, as far as run fits, he’s a good hitter.” 

But the linebacker also brings those intangibles that are so critical to playing linebacker at a high level in this league. Alford praised Deablo’s ability to manipulate quarterbacks with his eyes and take away passing lanes. Morris compared the impact that Deablo has, both on this defense and on opposing quarterbacks, to San Francisco’s perennial All-Pro, Fred Warner.  

“To watch him be able to do it is kind of unique because of his length, his speed, his ability to cover grass, and then when the check down goes, it's not an explosive,” Morris said. “He's able to close grass and get people on the ground, with a lot of space, and that is a unique thing about him, and his speed, and his athleticism, his range, and he's been excellent. He's been an excellent addition in every way, behind the ball, covering as a pressure player. He's done some really good things for us.”

The Falcons have leaned on this significantly improved defense through their first four games of the season. The unit has made year-over-year improvements across the board, and a lot of that can be attributed to the presence of Deablo in the middle of the field. 

Atlanta enters the bye week ranked second in total defense and second against the pass, numbers that reflect just how disruptive Deablo has been patrolling the middle.

Deablo’s emergence could not have come at a better time for the Falcons. With the offense still finding its rhythm under a young quarterback, Atlanta has leaned heavily on its defense to keep them in games. Deablo has been a steadying force at the center of that effort, erasing mistakes at the second level and keeping opponents uncomfortable over the middle. 

His arrival has also given the Falcons something they had been searching for in recent years: a linebacker with range who can both bang in the run game and erase options in the pass. That versatility has made him indispensable, a player who rarely comes off the field and whose presence is felt on every snap. 

It’s early, but if his first month in Atlanta is any indication, Deablo looks less like a quiet free-agent addition and more like one of the defining players of this defense. The national conversation has not caught up yet, but if he continues on this trajectory, it may be long before more people start mentioning him alongside the league’s most impactful linebackers.