In the Falcons’ opening preseason game – a victory against the Miami Dolphins – Hellams made an interception. He picked off quarterback Mike White in the end zone and returned the ball 15 yards to the Falcons’ 13-yard line.
Then, in the Falcons’ second preseason game – a tie with the Cincinnati Bengals – Hellams made another interception. He picked off quarterback Jake Browning at the Bengals’ 42-yard line and returned it 5 yards further into Cincinnati territory.
“He proved (in the preseason) that he can go through without game planning,” Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said in Week 13. “Then once we start game planning, can he retain what he’s seeing on film and take the game plan to the field? And now, he’s doing that. He deserves to get more playing time. He’s a good football player and all he’s going to do is keep adding.”
Hellams played in the Falcons’ third preseason game – a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers – but did not record a third consecutive interception.
Exhibition work is normal for a rookie, especially for someone like Hellams, who was a seventh-round pick. The Falcons used their No. 224 overall selection to obtain Hellams from the University of Alabama in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But, because of how Hellams performed in those games, when the outcome didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, he earned a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster, which is never a guarantee for someone drafted so late.
“He had a really good preseason,” former Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. “Remember he had a couple of picks. He was all over the place.”
A look back
Hellams was involved in the Falcons’ special teams since Week 1 but didn’t receive a defensive snap until Week 4. His debut on defense consisted of 12 snaps (18%) with one tackle. Those numbers only increased as the season went on, reaching 69 defensive snaps (96%) in Week 16 for seven tackles. He sustained a concussion in Week 17 that forced him to miss the Week 18 finale.
In total, Hellams appeared in 15 games overall, starting four. He notched 40 tackles, 25 of which were solo. There was one quarterback hit and one tackle for loss, too.
Hellams was only inactive in Weeks 9 and 18. He missed the Falcons’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings due to a hamstring injury and the Falcons’ loss to the New Orleans Saints with the aforementioned concussion.
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