ATLANTA — With the 16th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected cornerback AJ Terrell out of Clemson.
Entering the 2020 draft with needs at several defensive positions, rumors swirled in the lead up to tonight’s draft that Atlanta was looking to trade either up or down. Ultimately, General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn stayed put at 16, taking the Atlanta-born Terrell to fill one of their biggest needs in the Falcons secondary.
Pro Football Focus had Terrell listed 23rd on their big board, which indicates that the Falcons reached a bit for this pick. Dimitroff has been known to reach in the past when he’s seemingly identified his guy, most recently reaching to take two offensive linemen in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft in Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary.
Dimitroff spoke to the media following the pick saying, “Really excited about him. This guy is fast. This guy is athletic. This guy has the ability to play the ball in the air. We have big expectations for AJ to come in and help to continue to build this defense.”
Terrell, a two-year starter for the Tigers, finished his career with 107 career tackles, 20 pass breakups, six interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Listed at 6’1 190 lbs., Terrell has great size and speed following 4.37 40-yard dash at the combine and has a real opportunity to play immediately in Atlanta following the departure of former starting cornerback Desmond Trufant.
Terrell spoke on where he’ll fit in on the Atlanta defense saying, “I’ll fit anyway they need me to. I feel like I’m going to come in and make an impact. I already got a winning gene inside me.’’
AJ is certainly coming from a winning culture, finishing with a 29-1 record under head coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson with a national championship in 2018 and another appearance in the championship game in 2020.
The next pick up for the Falcons is in the second round at the 47th overall pick, where they should have another opportunity to fill a defensive need with a pass rusher after the departure of defensive end Vic Beasley, or look to find their running back of the future after signing former UGA running back Todd Gurley to a one-year deal this offseason.
