ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons have hired South Carolina State defensive tackles coach DeJuan Polk as a scout in the team's pro personnel department.
Polk, 25, will be one of the youngest scouts the league. He replaces Ray Farmer, who has appointed last month as the Kansas City Chiefs' new director of pro personnel, after four years with the Falcons.
"It's an opportunity to try something a little different than you're used to, but which could lead to a lot of different areas," said Polk, who officially begins in Atlanta next week.
After a four-year career as a defensive lineman at Clemson, where he appeared in 43 games and was a starter in his senior season, Polk opted to pursue a career in coaching, and served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater for a season. He then moved to South Carolina State for one year before the Falcons offered him the scouting position when Farmer departed.
His responsibilities with the Falcons will include scouting future opponents and helping director of pro personnel Led Snead assess the veteran free agent market every year.
Polk was a four-time member of the ACC academic honor roll while at Clemson and earned a B.A. in sports management.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.