It's not hyperbole to say the Atlanta Falcons' secondary badly needed reinforcements. They didn't draft Avieon Terrell in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft because of an emotional family reunion storyline with brother A.J. Terrell--they did so because they were able to kill two birds with one stone.
While the family reunion certainly helped his case (and will be pretty cool to see), Atlanta drafted Avieon based solely on his own talents. He was one of the better defensive backs in college football last season, and that's exactly what the doctor ordered in regards to the Falcons' secondary rotation.
In terms of the cornerbacks, A.J. Terrell is the only one who's starting spot is guaranteed in the long term. Mike Hughes is 29 and coming off of a major down year, starting nickel Billy Bowman Jr. is still rehabbing a torn Achilles, and the infusion of youth for the pass defense had to continue with Avieon.
The Falcons are expecting Avieon Terrell to turn their secondary around
Behind the older Terrell brother, the Falcons weren't exactly brimming with depth in the cornerback room. After those starters, Natrone Brooks, Cobee Bryant, and C.J. Henderson were getting run, and if injury strikes, none of those are players Jeff Ulbrich should feel that comfortable giving real reps to. Enter the 48th overall pick. With no first-round pick, Atlanta still came away with a first-round talent.
The Dirty Birds had the NFL's best pass defense through seven weeks of 2025, as the pass-rush was getting home and the starting DBs were all playing in harmony. If you look at that, you'd think corner wasn't much of a need, but after injuries took its toll, they finished the year closer to league average.
Hughes missed five games, including the final three of 2025, which is when Atlanta was forced to turn to their lackluster depth options. So while it's likely Avieon Terrell will play a pivotal role from Day 1, the 21-year-old's versatility and physicality will have to provide reinforcements if someone gets hurt.
Playing Terrell over a career journeyman like Henderson or a special teams guy in Brooks is a major upgrade , but it may not take long for him to take Hughes' job and start opposite his brother on the outside. And once that happens, he'll be tasked with sustaining the consistency we saw last year.
While the Falcons gave the former Clemson Tiger the rookie treatment earlier in order to help him continue recovering from some injuries, once training camp rolls around, it'll be Avieon Terrell's time to show why he's the missing piece for this secondary and help return them to their early 2025 form.
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