Jaylinn Hawkins Becoming a 'Complete Safety' for Falcons

A potential building block on the backend of the Atlanta Falcons defense, safety Jaylinn Hawkins is putting together a strong season and is catching the eye of defensive coordinator Dean Pees. 

Speaking with reporters on Friday, Pees said Hawkins "was a physical player."

"He really studies, he's really trying to be a complete safety and knowing everything, communicating, and I think he's really grown in that way a lot," Pees said. "Before, I thought he was more like, 'I know what to do, but I'd rather someone else tell me and take charge.' I think he's just as much take charge as Richie or Erik or whoever else is back there."

Hawkins, the 2020 fourth-round pick for the Falcons, is starting to come into his own on the backend of Atlanta's defense. Hawkins ranks fourth on the team in tackles (53) while just playing in nine games. 

The one game Hawkins did miss, it was noticeable, as the Falcons' secondary gave up 309 yards passing in their first meeting with the Carolina Panthers at the end of October. 

Being a player that was a part of the last draft class from the previous front office in Atlanta, it would've been easy for Hawkins to become discouraged after the then-newly hired general manager Terry Fontenot drafted Richie Grant in the second round of the 2021 draft. 

Now, the pair of Grant and Hawkins could be the future at safety for the Falcons as both continue to develop.