Divine Deablo

Divine Ahmad Deablo (born August 17, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). Originally a wide receiver, he converted to safety at Virginia Tech, where he earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2020. The Las Vegas Raiders selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, and he transitioned to linebacker after entering the NFL. After four seasons with Las Vegas, he signed with Atlanta in 2025.

Early life Deablo grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and attended Mount Tabor High School. He was named All-Central Piedmont Conference at wide receiver in each of his final three seasons as well as All-Northwest North Carolina in his senior season after averaging 21 yards per reception with 10 touchdown receptions. As a senior, Deablo committed to play college football at Virginia Tech over offers from North Carolina and N.C. State.

College career Deablo played for the Virginia Tech Hokies from 2016 to 2020. As a true freshman in 2016, he appeared in all 14 games, playing primarily on special teams and catching one pass for eight yards. Before the 2017 season, he moved from wide receiver to safety. He played in four games before suffering a season-ending foot injury and was granted a medical redshirt.

In 2018, Deablo started 11 games at safety and recorded 55 tackles, two passes defended, and one fumble recovery. Against Notre Dame, he returned a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown and was named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Back of the Week.

In 2020, Deablo recorded 55 tackles and four interceptions, tying for the ACC lead, and was named first-team All-ACC. He finished his Virginia Tech career with 206 tackles and six interceptions in 51 games, including 39 starts.

Las Vegas Raiders Deablo was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round (80th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft. Although he had played safety at Virginia Tech, he transitioned to linebacker in the NFL. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Las Vegas on July 23, 2021. As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games, made five starts, and recorded 45 tackles.

In 2023, Deablo started 15 games and recorded a career-high 106 tackles, four tackles for loss, two passes defended, and his first career sack. He started 14 games in 2024, finishing with 63 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and two passes defended.

Atlanta Falcons On March 14, 2025, Deablo signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. After missing four games, He returned to action against the New Orleans Saints the following day.

During the 2026 offseason, following Kaden Elliss's departure in free agency, Deablo was assigned the Falcons' defensive communication "green dot", giving him responsibility for relaying calls to the defense.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2021 LV 17 5 45 28 17 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2022 LV 8 8 74 38 36 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2023 LV 15 15 106 65 41 1.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2024 LV 14 14 63 35 28 1.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2025 ATL 13 13 73 38 35 1.0 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 7 0 0 1 0 0Career 67 55 361 204 157 3.0 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 13 0 0 3 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2021 LV 1 1 8 3 5 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 1 1 8 3 5 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0