Safety DeMarcco Hellams considers himself a winner. It’s why he went to Alabama from DeMatha Catholic High School. But on Wednesday, the NFL rookie is participating in his first full-team practice of training camp with the Atlanta Falcons, who have posted five consecutive losing seasons.

“I decided to go to Alabama just because coach Saban is a guy definitely hard to say ‘No’ to,” Hellams told the Falcons’ official website. “Once he brings you in the office, let me try on the rings – once I tried on the ring, it was kind of a done deal from there. I’m a winner. I won in high school. I won in college, so I definitely wanted to be around winners.”

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The Falcons’ bid to becoming winners again included significant free-agent spending to bolster the defense and adding Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Syracuse offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron with the team’s first two draft picks this offseason.

Atlanta also has committed to Desmond Ridder as its starting quarterback after the 2022 third-round pick played the final four games of his rookie season.

The Falcons’ offseason spending included signing safety Jessie Bates III away from the Cincinnati Bengals with a four-year, $64.02 million contract. Atlanta signed Bates even though 2022 starting safeties Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins remain with the team.

Despite that depth at safety, the Falcons drafted Hellams in the seventh round on April 29. Hellams thought he’d get picked before his name was called as the 224th selection.

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“I took a lot of notes as far as who got picked ahead of me,” Hellams said. “I always feel like God has a plan for me. When I saw the Falcons’ area code, I definitely smiled knowing I would be going somewhere where the team believed in me.”

Atlanta defensive-backs coach Steve Jackson said the Falcons liked Hellams’ size and football IQ.

“The things that he does on the field, he just kind of stands out,” Jackson said. “… A lot of things you can’t really objectify, but he’s got a lot of intangibles that you see on tape that make you want to have a guy like that on your team.”

But as the last of the 10 players picked from Alabama in the 2023 NFL Draft, Hellams isn’t a lock to make the Falcons’ regular-season roster, particularly considering the depth-chart lines already filled ahead of him in the secondary.

Hellams is the 12th player picked from Saban’s 16 Alabama teams after the first 200 selections in an NFL Draft. One has become a regular NFL starter – Bradley Bozeman, the 215th choice in the 2018 draft and now the center for the Carolina Panthers. Three others never played in an NFL regular-season game, and only Brandon Deaderick, the 247th pick in 2010, joins Bozeman with more than 15 regular-season appearances. Deaderick played in 60 games, including 17 starts, in five NFL seasons.

One thing in Hellams’ favor is his extensive experience on special teams at Alabama, which helped him play in all 54 games of his college career. It was a role he continued even as he started his final 28 games with the Crimson Tide and led the team with 108 tackles as a senior.

“Any way I can get on the field to help my team,” Hellams said of his commitment.

The Falcons will kick off their three-game preseason schedule at 6 p.m. CDT Aug. 11 when they visit the Miami Dolphins.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.