You hear all the time about the work NFL teams put into the pre-draft process; there is scouting, preparing, and analytics.
The Atlanta Falcons' process was made especially difficult with them not picking until the middle of the second round. They were forced to put in countless hours in preparing for who might be available at 48.
Among those players who they didn't expect to be on the board was their superstar's little brother, Avieon Terrell. In fact, according to their draft model, the outcome in which he was available was believed to be impossible.
After selecting Avieon Terrell, Ian Cunningham reminded Matt Ryan and Kevin Stefanski their model showed a zero percent chance of Terrell being available at pick 48.
— Rise Up Avieon (@RiseUpReader) May 23, 2026
They were all laughing in disbelief. pic.twitter.com/HUezctkSMN
Yet, here we are preparing to see the two Terrell brothers take the field in 2026. It was fate.
The Falcons' draft model indicated Avieon Terrell had no chance of being available at Pick 48
Avieon's pre-draft process didn't go as he would've wished. He suffered a hamstring injury that impacted his combine and Pro Day performances. For the rest of the league, that was apparently enough to pass over him, which is quite ridiculous considering he is a no-doubt first-round talent.
But maybe it all happened for a reason. Maybe that hamstring injury was the best thing to happen to him because now he gets to play alongside his older brother for the first time. If the injury hadn't happened, he would've been long gone before the Dirty Birds took the clock for the first time.
Ian Cunningham, Matt Ryan, and Kevin Stefanski were left laughing at the rest of the league. They landed a perfect Jeff Ulbrich player. In fact, Ryan encouraged the new regime to not trade down from Pick 48 when they realized Terrell was still available.
It makes sense why their model said there was no chance that Avieon would be available. Not only should he have been a late-first-round pick, but there were 15 picks to start Day 2 before they made their first selection. It is still baffling how each of those teams passed on him.
Sure, his testing was sub-par overall; he was reported to have run anywhere from a 4.37 to 4.64 forty-yard dash at Clemson's Pro Day and only had a 133" broad and 34" vertical, while also posting an impressive 17 bench-press reps.
But take a look at his film, and you will see a strong athlete with rare tenacity. He never gives up, and that is the first thing you want in a prospect. The crazy thing is that only three corners were taken ahead of him, so all of those CB-needy teams -- and there were/are a lot of them -- passed on him.
I don't think the Falcons or any of their fans are complaining. They landed an elite player who will pair with his brother to shut down the many elite NFL receivers for years to come. Luckily, that 0% wasn't accurate.
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