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In many ways, defensive back Dee Alford embodies not only the Atlanta Falcons' secondary but the entire team.
The 25-year-old Alford has ascended from undrafted, unheralded CFL signing to one of the biggest breakout players on Atlanta's roster - and is only just getting started.
Alford, who played in all but one game a year ago, has taken over as the starter at nickel corner after Isaiah Oliver departed for the San Francisco 49ers this spring.
Despite much of the offseason attention being around free agent signing Mike Hughes and fourth-round pick Clark Phillips III, Alford has cemented himself as Atlanta's nickel.
Through five weeks, Alford's recorded 19 tackles and three passes defended while proving valuable as both a cover corner and run defender. He's also blitzed four times as a part of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen's exotic pressure packages.
Alford's coming off arguably his best game of the season, collecting four tackles, two passes defended and a tackle for loss in Atlanta's 21-19 win over the Houston Texans last Sunday.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith dubbed Alford one of the team's defensive players of the game and is a prime example of Atlanta's player personnel staff turning over every stone - and it appears to have found a gem in the former Tusculum standout.
“It’s a really cool story," Smith said. "He’s really flourishing. We feel like we’ve got secondary depth, (and) he’s embraced it. He’s taken off. He’s playing well.”
Alford's rise mirrors that of Atlanta's secondary, which features a pair of new faces in cornerback Jeff Okudah and safety Jessie Bates III. Returning starters A.J. Terrell and Richie Grant have drawn praise from Smith, with the former playing close to his 2021 All-Pro level and the latter proving versatile while moving around multiple spots on the defense.
With heightened talent comes heightened expectations - and the Falcons have proven willing to work towards meeting lofty preseason goals.
Assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray singled out being goal oriented as a key not only for Alford but the entire unit, and the Griffin, Ga., native achieved his.
Alford added seven pounds of muscle this offseason while managing to get faster. He told SI's Falcon Report this summer that he feels more confident in his body and the results have shown thus far.
The next box to check is meeting his season goal - to win, which requires buy-in from top to bottom, and Atlanta's secondary, led by the captain Bates, embodies that as well as anybody.
“Those guys, they come in on Tuesday when coaches are not even there," Gray said. "So, they’re watching an hour, an hour and a half of film together. [They're saying], ‘Hey, what about this? What about that?' So, they’re actually getting hands on talking about the next team. Now, when we put the plan in, it makes so much more sense.
"If you don’t get Tuesday, you’re behind in the NFL. And I think that’s one of the biggest things and the reason why we get a big jump on teams is that our guys meet on Tuesday."
This off-day preparation helps the secondary see opponents through a different lens, perhaps more personable to each one as opposed to the general defensive plan.
The results are evident - Atlanta's pass defense currently sits as the league's eighth best, allowing only 191 yards per game. Last season, the unit ranked No. 25 at 232 yards per game.
Alford's better. The passing defense is much better.
But the story of the nickel's ascent from perceived camp body to one of the most productive players at his position may be the best of all - and taking his game to new heights is evidently helping Atlanta's defense do the same.
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