A.J. Terrell Heads Home, Drafted By Falcons

Former Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 16th overall pick in Thursday's first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Former Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 16th overall pick in Thursday's first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. 

"He has the length and he has the recovery speed," said ESPN NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Thursday. "He's a little grabby which will result in penalty flags in the NFL."

Kiper also said Terrell will need more coaching and should get it from Falcons head coach Dan Quinn who orchestrated the "Legion of Boom" secondary in Seattle. 

He is the ninth corner drafted from Clemson since 2010 and the second first-round selection in 2020 behind linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who went eighth overall to the Cardinals. 

Terrell heads back to his hometown of Atlanta to play for a team that was in need of cornerback help.

His final game against LSU in the national championship wasn't his best performance, but he proved to be worth a first-round selection with his career.

ESPN Senior Writer Mina Kimes said she believed Terrell was a better player in 2018, and didn't want to base his potential on just his last game. 

"The talent and athleticism speaks for itself," Kimes said.

As a sophomore in 2018, Terrell was named third-team All-ACC after starting all 15 games and leading the team with three interceptions, one coming to open the scoring against Alabama in the Tigers 44-16 win to secure the 2018 national title.

As a senior, Terrell earned first-team All-ACC honors after recording 39 tackles, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions. 

Terrell ended his three-year career at Clemson with 107 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 20 pass breakups and 6 interceptions. He started all 15 games ion each of his sophomore and junior seasons, helping Clemson to a 29-1 record over the two-year stretch.

Terrell was a five-star prospect that came to Clemson from Westlake High in Atlanta, Georgia and was the Tigers highest-rated signee in the 2017 recruiting class. He was the AAAAAAA Player of the Year in Georgia as a senior.

However, the Falcons are getting a battle-tested corner with plenty of upside. With some fine-tuning, Terrell could become a starter sooner, rather than later.

"A.J. Terrell is the Deshaun Watson of this group, and what I mean by that is he's a Deshaun Watson at a different position," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "The reason I say that — and this is what I've told everybody — is his consistency. He's handled himself like a pro since the day he got here as far as his maturity, his love of preparation, his mindset, and the type of teammate he is. He's got unique intangibles to go along with a rare skillset for his position."

Strengths: Terrell is an above-average athlete that does his best work in press coverage. His size and length allow him to defend 50/50 balls well and he has quick burst which allows him to close out ground in tight spaces. He's played on the big stage, including three consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff.

Weaknesses: Has a thin lower half, and his recovery speed seems to be average at best. Needs work in run support and takes bad angles at times. He has lost focus at times in Cover 3, allowing receivers to get behind him.