FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — With the No. 48 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell.
Avieon is the brother of Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr., a former first-round pick for Atlanta. Like his older sibling, Avieon had a standout career for the Clemson Tigers and was considered a top-flight prospect in the secondary. The Terrell brothers are both from Atlanta and attended Westlake High School, so they are truly home-grown talent for the Falcons.
The younger Terrell is a competitive outside corner who has the fluidity and reactivity needed to become a great player at the next level. He likes to get into a receiver's face at the line of scrimmage, which will be a welcome quality in Jeff Ulbrich's defense. Terrell could compete right away with Mike Hughes for the starting job at No. 2 corner.
Let's take a closer look at what Terrell brings to the table:
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 184
Age: 21
School: Clemson
2025 Stats: 12 starts across 12 games played | 48 total tackles (4.5 for a loss) | 3 sacks | 5 forced fumbles | 9 passes defended | 3 career interceptions
Honors: First Team All-ACC (2025), led ACC in forced fumbles, Second Team All-ACC (2024)
Expert Opinions
Dane Brugler, The Athletic: "Terrell is a fluid, easy mover, with light footwork in his pedal and read-and-drive reactions. He crowds receivers up and down the field and displays instinctive qualities to find and play the football. You would like to see more interceptions from him, but he made plenty of impact plays the past two seasons (21 passes defended, eight forced fumbles) and competes with a "Honey Badger" aura. His physicality jumps off the tape versus both pass and run, although he will struggle playing through bigger bodies to affect the catch point. Overall, Terrell is undersized, but NFL teams, especially those running press-heavy schemes, would be wise to bet on his reaction quickness and compete skills. He projects as a rookie starter with inside-outside versatility."
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network: "Terrell is an undersized cornerback with tremendous quickness and instincts. He projects best as a nickel at the next level. I love his feisty, competitive play style. He utilizes his quick feet and smooth change of direction to match up in the slot. He stays in position with great movement skills and body control. He has excellent eyes and closing speed in underneath zone coverage. He isn't as effective on the outside, where his lack of size shows up on go balls, and he'll get walled off on slants by bigger-bodied receivers. He is very aggressive to fill vs. the run game. He is also a stellar blitzer (SEE: the Georgia Tech game, where he runs over a tight end to make a TFL/forced fumble). He's always talking and provides energy on the field. Overall, this is an ideal nickel starter on Day 1."
Why he fits
Everyone already knows how one Terrell brother has done for his hometown NFL team, now we get to see another brother enter the fold. Avieon Terrell joins a cornerback room that has long been the hunting ground of his big brother, A.J., since the Falcons took the older Terrell in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Now, it welcomes Avieon.
The younger Terrell immediately enters into a position open for competition. A.J. Terrell holds down one starting spot, everyone knows that. But who plays opposite him? That could be up for grabs. Mike Hughes returns on the final year of his deal and has been a consistent option for Atlanta when healthy. However, with nickel Billy Bowman Jr. rehabbing a ruptured Achilles from last year, the Falcons could see fit to move Hughes (or Avieon Terrell) into the nickel spot should they so need to. Both Terrell and Hughes have that position flexibility. Regardless of where he ends up, though, the younger Terrell has the opportunity to do what few before him (or any at all) have, which is partner up at the same position opposite his brother playing for the NFL team they grew up supporting.
Hear from his college coaches
Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney: "Avieon is as good as we've had here. Highly skilled. His brother was a first-rounder. To me, Avieon is a first-rounder talent-wise. I think he can play either corner spot, he can play the nickel, and he's an elite competitor. He loves to prepare. He loves to practice. He's a gym rat. He's a very smart, instinctual player, and he's a guy that was a joy to coach. He showed up and loved to compete. Banged up? It didn't matter. He was always ready to go compete. I think he's a really good tackler. I think he's a physical kid. He's a ball hawk. He gets the ball out, whether he rips it out, punches it out or knocks it out. He causes a lot of fumbles. He's our career leader in that category for a Clemson DB. He's a young player that's still coming into his own, still physically growing into his body. He plays longer than he is. He's a guy that helps their team day one."
Clemson CB Coach Mike Reed: "They are getting a highly competitive young man who not only is a very good player, but an even better person. Highly athletic, super quick, physical, smart, fast and has a knack for creating turnovers. He plays with a chip on his shoulder because when it's all said and done, you will remember his name, Avieon Terrell."
