Getty A.J. Terrell #8 of the Clemson Tigers.
When the Falcons draft AJ Terrell in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft this year, many fans were surprised and seemingly disappointed that Atlanta didn’t trade up after talking such a big game.
But, AJ Terrell is actually the perfect pick for Falcons according to two former NFL scouts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Jeremiah and Brooks gave their takes on the ‘Move the Sticks’ podcast on why they believe Terrell will be a major asset to the Falcons.
Cornerbacks Are a Necessity
When you look past the spotlight game that everyone seems to focus too much on, Terrell is a solid cornerback which is what the Falcons are lacking.
Jeremiah says Terrell and his talents are a necessity for the Falcons or any defense for that matter.
“They ended up getting a big, tall, long, athletic corner in AJ Terrell,” Jeremiah said. “A little bit earlier than I had him graded but I had him as a first-round player. He was in that mix. It wasn’t a huge reach. When you look inside that division specifically when you look at what you have to deal with in Tampa, what you have to deal with in Mike Thomas in New Orleans, having a big corner is not just a nice thing, it’s a necessity. That fits the bill there for the Falcons.”
Brooks jumped off of what Jeremiah said emphasizing the importance of having a hybrid cornerback in the NFC South.
“You have to have guys that can play man-to-man, but they also have to be physical enough to hold up against those big bodies that dominate within the division.”
The 6-foot-1, 195 pounds former Tiger certainly has the length a lot of NFL teams look for in a pro corner. In his final season at Clemson, Terrell finished as a first-team all-conference selection recording 37 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in 15 starts.
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Raheem Morris Believes AJ Terell is a Starter
After coming out the first round and covering the opposing team’s No. 1 option throughout his college career, it wouldn’t make sense if Terell didn’t start.
Falcons’ defensive coordinator Raheem Morris believes he has starting abilities but doesn’t want to get ahead of himself.
“I would like to say yes, but I don’t want to make any predictions for him,” Morris told D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s got to go out there and compete with some really good football players. I would say this, when you get a guy that early, you’re going to give all of the effort, give him all of his due (respect) and chances to get him out on the grass as quickly as possible.”
Right now, the Falcons have zero reliable talent at cornerback aside from Terrell and if the Falcons will have a lot of angry fans questioning the franchise if they don’t start their first-round pick.
Terell is Ready to Make a New First Impression
People tend to hang on to first impressions [the LSU game] but Terrell is getting a fresh start come September.
As a Clemson grad, Terrell played in a total of 38 games and recorded 101 tackles and six interceptions.
Terrell plans on bringing consistency to Atlanta and told Atlanta’s local media which opponent he looks forward to facing the most.
“Anybody,” Terrell said. “You know just going in there and competing with any WR in the league. I don’t have one WR in particular, just going into each game and just compete against everybody in the same way.’’
What he doesn’t plan on bringing are the mistakes he made on January 13.
“You have to have a short-term memory regarding the struggles in the national title game.”
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