There's a reason that Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been labeled the "linebacker guru" about a portion of the fanbase. He turned Divine Deablo from an average LB to one of the better players at his position, and now he's working his same magic on some Falcons rookies.
The Falcons' dynamic duo of Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. have started to turn heads in training camp in recent days. Both rookie linebackers have been taking more and more reps with the first-team defense to the point that they look like two of the biggest steals of the 2026 NFL Draft.
However, Atlanta's usage plans for the two of them could not be more different. It seems like Ulbrich wants to be more creative with Perkins. He plans to allow him to play the role inhabited by the departed Kaden Elliss and the injured Jalon Walker to allow him to make plays all over the front seven.
Kendal Daniels has risen to the occasion with Divine Deablo injured
Meanwhile, Deablo's absence has forced the veteran DC to invest more trust in his high-upside rookie within the middle of the defense. He's missed the last three practices after rolling his ankle on Saturday, and in turn, it's been Kendal Daniels who took on his role as the green dot of the defense.
The reason that Ulbrich was foaming at the mouth for the Dirty Birds to draft the 23-year-old is because he's essentially his "Build-a-Linebacker". The kid is an athletic freak who can make plays all over the football field, and his unmatched physical tools are something that you cannot teach.
Considering Daniels and Deablo are both converted safeties with elite range, the similarities are uncanny. Being 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds and being that fast cannot be legal. He's essentially a freight train, and is probably the closest thing we'll possibly see to the Falcons cloning their star linebacker.
The Falcons never really got a shot to evaluate the Oklahoma product in this regard because he missed OTAs due to calf tendonitis. Now that he's been fully healthy in training camp, Daniels has been one of the stars of the show--and he's proving why the 49-year-old's brand of linebackers succeed: pure traits can win out if they're being utilized by the right person.
Whether Kendal Daniels' rapid rise can be credited to his talent, the benefit of Jeff Ulbrich's development, or a little of both remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: the larger workload he takes on, the more of a keeper he becomes.
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