The Falcons struck gold when they picked Damontae Kazee in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. They may be hoping a similar scenario plays out with a different defensive back prospect coming out of San Diego State in this year’s draft.
According to a report by Eric Edholm, Atlanta is bringing in Aztecs safety Parker Baldwin for an official top-30 visit. He has several qualities that coach Dan Quinn adores for DB prospects, including length, special teams prowess and the ability to lay some wood. In college, Baldwin posted six interceptions, 15 pass breakups and 8.5 tackles for a loss in 45 games.
Kazee has set a high standard. Realistically, the Falcons can’t expect Baldwin to match Kazee’s potential. They’ll probably be happy if he could become the new backup for either starting safety Keanu Neal or Ricardo Allen as Kazee slides over to slot cornerback. The team’s safety depth was exposed by their injuries last season, despite Kazee’s impressive showing.
Baldwin is projected to be either a seventh-round pick or an undrafted free agent.
