Falcons' AJ Terrell Snubbed on Latest PFF CB Rankings

Pro Football Focus didn’t include Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell among its top 32 cornerbacks on its last rankings for the position.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J, Terrell appeared headed for NFL stardom after his second NFL season in 2021. But for the second straight year, Pro Football Focus (PFF) has left Terrell off its list of top NFL cornerbacks.

PFF’s John Kosko ranked the top cornerbacks in the league on June 3. Terrell was not even honorable mention as just missing the list.

That was also the case for Terrell last offseason. He was not included among the 37 cornerbacks discussed as the top at the position last spring.

That was rather surprising after PFF ranked Terrell the league’s No. 3 cornerback in June 2022. Terrell made second-team All-Pro during the 2021 season.

Unlike other offseason lists, there’s more of an analytic formula to PFF’s positional rankings. PFF has become famous for its player grade assessments.

So Terrell’s grade explains his decline in the PFF rankings.

But Kosko also interjected his own substance as well. For instance, Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson scored the best overall defensive grade among cornerbacks last season, but he was fifth on PFF’s 2024 cornerback rankings list.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland had the second-best PFF cornerback grade, but he was 31st on Kosko’s list.

Among cornerbacks who played at least half their team’s defensive snaps in 2023, Terrell finished 21st in PFF player grades. He had 34 combined tackles, including 4 for loss and led the Falcons with 11 pass defenses. But for the second straight year, Terrell didn’t record an interception. 

Although that’s not supposed to weigh too heavily in PFF’s rankings, perhaps the lack of interceptions influenced Terrell not making the website’s top cornerback list. 

It’s difficult to find another reason. While it’s fair to say he’s not currently elite as he was in 2021, omitting Terrell entirely on a list of the league’s top 35 cornerbacks essentially means he’d be better served in a CB2 role.

That’s a little hard to believe.

In four seasons with the Falcons, Terrell has posted 43 pass defenses and 4 interceptions. Three of his picks came during 2021. 

He will be entering the final year – the fifth-year option – of his rookie contract this fall. He will count as a $12.34 million cap hit.