Unpacking Future Packers: No. 42, Alabama S DeMarcco Hellams

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Alabama safety DeMarcco Hellams.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

With the 228th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Tariq Carpenter. The Georgia Tech defensive back was a prospect that entered the NFL Draft with plenty of experience playing on special teams during his collegiate career.

That special teams experience helped the seventh-round pick make an impact during his rookie season, as he played 120 special teams snaps and really stood out down the stretch for the Packers.

A player that Brian Gutekunst could target on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft with plenty of special teams experience is DeMarrco Hellams. The Alabama safety checks in at No. 42 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

Hellams, a four-star recruit out of Maryland, logged 306 snaps on special teams during his first two seasons at Alabama. During his sophomore season, Hellams recorded 56 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and three pass deflections. During the 2021 season, Hellams recorded 87 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and three pass deflections.

This past season, Hellams led Alabama with 108 tackles. The former four-star recruit also recorded three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and seven pass deflections. 

“Overall, Hellams was a good, solid player for most of the season and the prior two seasons,” Brent Taylor, the editor for Roll Bama Roll said. “Unfortunately, he got outrun by Jalin Hyatt twice on deep bombs when Alabama lost to arch-rival Tennessee for the first time since 2006. So that game overshadows everything else he did in a good career.” 

Hellams is about that business in run support. He’s fearless in run support and not afraid to drop his shoulder and take on lead blockers. He has a nose for the football. Over the past two seasons, Hellams has recorded 195 tackles. The Alabama safety is at his best coming downhill. When he arrives he delivers a thud. He has adequate speed to close the gap when he’s in pursuit. 

“In run support, he’s as good of a tackler as you can ask for,” Taylor said. “The dude rarely misses, and many of his tackles are of the bone-crunching variety. There’s a reason he got playing time as a true freshman as a linebacker in dime packages.”

A former high school wide receiver, Hellams has adequate ball skills. When he breaks on the route he wants to knock the pass catcher into next week. Hellams has the size and quickness to match up with tight ends in coverage. Hellams doesn’t have the recovery speed to make up for false steps. He needs to have more disciplined eyes. 

“He’s not a great coverage guy,” Taylor said. “He’s got decent enough ball skills and can definitely get his hands on the ball if he’s in position. But he doesn’t have the athleticism to do it. Both his straight-line speed and his change of direction are limited, and he’ll often be just 1 step behind a guy catching the ball. Not because of a mental mistake or bad technique or whatever. He just doesn’t have the speed.”

Hellams finished his career at Alabama with 400 snaps on special teams and eight career tackles on special teams. That experience could help him see the field immediately during his rookie season.

Fit with the Packers

The Packers need help at the safety position. Gutekunst has started to remake the safety depth chart by signing free agent Tarvarius Moore and re-signing Rudy Ford. 

Hellams may have some limitations in coverage and he’s not a true centerfield-type safety, but he could immediately make an impact on special teams while providing quality depth at the safety position. 

“I think he could fill some specific roles for an NFL team,” Taylor said. “If you run a lighter 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 defense, he could be a fifth safety that is really just a smaller linebacker. Most likely as a depth piece who could play in a pinch. He can also be a really good special teams player as someone who can take on blocks and make tackles in the open field. I wouldn’t draft him expecting a starter, but a fifth or sixth-round pick for a solid depth guy definitely isn’t out of the question.”

Hellams is coming off a season in which he led Alabama in tackles. He’s a physical tone-setter and while he may not be the best in coverage, his physicality could be what’s missing in Green Bay’s secondary.

Even if he never becomes a fixture on defense, Hellams has the traits and experience to be a hired gun on special teams.

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