It's been an up-and-down summer for Atlanta Falcons rookie cormerback Avieon Terrell. The flashes have superstardom have been there when he's on the field. He turned heads when he nabbed his first interception of the summer, but his momentum was halted by an injury suffered a couple weeks back.
Terrell missed about two weeks of practice due to a hamstring injury, but has since returned to practice. And in the time that the second-round rookie has been back on the field, he's already returned to 11-on-11 work--where he worked with the first-team defense as the starting nickel.
It's safe to say that Avieon Terrell has wasted no time making up for lost time--and the coaching staff is taking notice. While addressing the media on Wednesday, DBs coach Justin Hood was asked about the Falcons' youngster, and had nothing but good things to say about working with another Terrell.
“Avieon’s been great. Good in the meeting room, good on the grass," Hood said. "Young energy, youthful, asks a lot of great questions. So, he's fun to work with & you come in with him every single day & you see how eager he is to learn.”
Falcons CB Avieon Terrell's willingness to learn has impressed Justin Hood
There the thing that stands out about Hood's praise: he labeled Avieon Terrell as eager to learn and called him good in the meeting room. The assistant coach is doubling down on his mindset, and having the right mentality is especially important for NFL success--especially at a position like CB. And this comes after Kevin Stefanski praised him earlier this summer for playing inside and out.
It's so easy for young players, especially nowadays, to get caught up in the glitz and glamor of NFL life--especially after the way NIL has changed the college game. Finding players with elite work ethics is harder to find now than ever before, but Terrell is not letting his ego get in the way of greatness.
The 21-year-old does have the advantage of Atlanta's DB room being led by his older brother, which surely helps him feel more comfortable being outspoken--but the Dirty Birds aren't complaining. They're looking for dogs in their cornerback room, and the Clemson product attacks the football like he caught it with his wife.
That doesn't change the facts here: for as impressive as the No. 48 overall pick has been on the field, Falcons assistant coaches like Justin Hood are just as impressed by the person. And that youthful energy must be infectious since he's far and away the youngest cornerback on the current roster.
Right now, Darnay Holmes looks to be the favorite to be the Falcons' starting nickel cornerback, but now that Avieon Terrell is back out there, he might have something to say about it. After all, there's a reason he was labeled one of the biggest steals of the draft.
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