Southeast/Florida product Brian Poole goes from undrafted to Atlanta Falcons starter

When Brian Poole wasn’t selected in this year’s NFL draft, he could’ve gotten angry, grown a chip on his shoulder or felt sorry for himself.

But the former Southeast/University of Florida standout did none of those things and it is part of the reason he is now a starter for the red-hot Atlanta Falcons.

“I never looked at it like I was proving everybody wrong. I just proved myself right,” Poole said. “I didn’t have to prove anything to anybody. I had faith in myself. The coaches told me that I would have a chance to compete and that was all I was looking for.”

It didn’t take Poole long to impress head coach Dan Quinn and his staff. He started the first preseason game in the nickel package, has started every game since and has been an integral part of the Falcons’ resurgence.

Quinn saw something in Poole as a potential starter back in training camp before any games and the 5-10, 211-pounder has not disappointed the coach.

“He just keeps getting better and we’re going to continue to push him and find all the different things he can do, but he has a real clear understanding of how to play that inside spot,” Quinn said.

At Florida, Poole played every position in the secondary, but showed a talent for covering the slot and was impressive with his physical play, which seems to have won him a spot in Quinn’s heart. He has not missed a tackle this season.

“That part of our game when we are playing our zone and tackling, that’s when I think Brian is at this best. (We are going) to find all the different things he can do,” Quinn said.

Quinn isn’t saying he was surprised at Poole’s play, but the 22-year-old makes no bones that he wasn’t. He plays the nickel package, some outside corner and different phases on special teams. It confirmed his belief that becoming an undrafted starter should not be a surprise.

“If a guy doesn’t get drafted it doesn’t mean he can’t play, and it shows the best players are not necessarily in the draft. A lot of drafted players are more publicized,” Poole said. “Atlanta was a good fit for me because they promised me a chance to compete for a job and did that.”

Poole didn’t find out for sure he was going to make the team until the final cut down and he only learned after he didn’t get a call that day to turn in his stuff.

“I was home here (Atlanta area) with my family and when 4 o’clock passed and I didn’t get a call that’s when I knew I made the team,” Poole said. “But it wasn’t really stressing about it. I wouldn’t say I was surprised. I just left it in God’s hands. I could only control what I could control and that’s what I bring to the field.”

One of the highlights for Poole was when he started against his hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his close friend and teammate at Florida, Vernon Hargreaves.

“It was actually a really cool experience to play against my best friend. I covered the slot receiver, but they move those guys around a lot,” Poole said

He has been especially effective on the punt team, credited with causing one fair catch against the Tampa Bay Bucs and making a tackle inside the 20 against Oakland.

One of the criticisms of Poole was his height. At 5-10, some said he wasn’t tall enough to play corner in the NFL, but he just shrugged that off.

“Height was another obstacle they put in the way, but it doesn’t hurt me. There are a lots of DBs who are 5-10 and have been in the league for 10 years,” Poole said.

Atlanta lost that game to the Bucs, but have won three straight since, including last week when Matt Ryan and Julio Jones set franchise passing and receiving records in their upset over Carolina.

Now they are going on the road to play defending Super Bowl champ Denver and then Seattle. It’s the type of challenge Poole likes and that confidence is something the team will enjoy sharing.

“We are just taking things one day at a time. We set high standards for ourselves and we come to practice every day ready to work hard,” Poole said. “The biggest difference for me between the pros and college is paying attention to detail. You have to do that in the NFL, but I played against high-caliber players in college.”　　　　　　　　

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Southeast/Florida product Brian Poole goes from undrafted to Atlanta Falcons starter."