In college, Kendal Daniels was a safety, the position he played when he won the 2022 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year with Oklahoma State.
Then, in his latter years at OSU and his final college football season at Oklahoma, the bulked-up Daniels moved to linebacker and a hybrid role.
The rookie inside linebacker said he learned he could balance multiple roles under OU head coach Brent Venables.
“There’s crossover,” Daniels told reporters Thursday. “It just depends on the playcall. Sometimes it’s the same drop, just from a different position.”
But the 23-year-old had no idea those years were tailoring him for his role with the Atlanta Falcons, who picked him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft this past April.
“Kendal knows every position on the defense,” said Divine Deablo, Falcons linebacker.
“That’s a credit to how hard he works. I walk by the linebacker room, and he’s in there studying. Major props to Kendal. He’s going to continue to grow and be a great player. Kendal’s going to be in this league for a very long time.”
Alongside playing Mike and Will linebackers in Atlanta under inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud, Daniels has now picked up defensive end duties, most notably in the Falcons’ 30-23 overtime NFL Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football.
“I’ve been around guys that can articulate it but can’t go out there on the grass and apply everything that they know,” said Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “I was hopeful that all of that would come to fruition, that he could apply. And then once we got into camp, you started to see it really quickly.”
Daniels played 50 defensive snaps and 13 as a special teamer.
“He’s done great. Kind of a big surprise for us, to be honest with you,” Atlanta special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman spoke highly of Daniels. “That’s a part of the communication aspect, how much is Kendal going to be playing this week. Everything that we’ve asked Kendal to do is attention to detail, being a pro, and asking a bunch of questions. Those things have really impressed me [on] how smart this kid is. Because he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He’s out there early, working early, trying to work on technique and fundamentals. I can see him only getting better.”
Daniels spent a portion of the offseason not fully participating in on-field work due to an Achilles injury.
But Ulbrich saw the 6-foot-5, 242-pounder as a jack of all trades. Especially when the Falcons lost young edge rushers, Jalon Walker to a torn ACL during preseason training camp, and James Pearce Jr. to an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“Who can handle this burden of a little bit extra and a little bit more? And we found out right away that he was that guy,” Ulbrich recalled.
“A lot of this is new. It doesn’t feel new at times. But there’s huge room for growth, and there will be growth because of the way he’s wired. I can never see him as being a player that says, ‘I got it,’ and he kicks his feet up and feels like he’s arrived. He’s got humility, a great desire to work hard, and to be really good at this game. As long as he can keep that approach and mentality, which he will, he’s going to keep growing and getting better.”
In his first games in the trenches, Daniels revealed that his current challenge is learning to read the offensive line to determine whether a play is a pass or a run.
“Still trying to figure that out and trying to get better at that every day,” he said. “Moving out to the line of scrimmage and being able to play in the box, it’s fun but a lot of learning.”
In his multi-hyphenated role, Daniels has collected 23 tackles (17 solo), a sack, and a pass deflection. He’s fourth overall on the team in solo tackles but leads Atlanta’s linebacker position in the category.
“That’s rare for players, period, and very rare for a rookie to handle,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said about Daniels. “As you’re around Kendal and as you watch him work, it’s not that surprising. He’s certainly been proving to be capable of handling a lot.”
Daniels and the Falcons (2-3) next face the Chicago Bears (3-2) and their league-leading running game. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on FOX as Atlanta hosts the NFL Week 6 game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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