Arguably, A.J. Terrell has been the most disrespected and underappreciated player for the Atlanta Falcons the past few years.
Despite constantly locking down his opponent, no one talks about him as a top cornerback, and that has only continued with Pro Football Focus' top 32 cornerback rankings.
A.J. Terrell desrespectfully ranked as the NFL's 24th cornerback
PFF has long been known for its grading system, which helps people get a better idea of the success of a player beyond the stat sheet. The company does a lot of good, but it doesn't mean they are immune to mistakes.
And they certainly made one in their cornerback rankings, claiming the Falcons only have the 24th-best cornerback.
No way, no how. There aren't 23 corners better than A.J. Terrell. It is abhorrent that you could rank him that low.
Among the names that are "better" than Terrell are D.J. Reed, Christian Benford, Cooper DeJean, Devon Witherspoon, Charvarius Ward, Jamel Dean, Carlton Davis III, Riq Woolen, Taron Johnson, Darius Slay, Garrett Williams, and Deommodore Lenoir.
Yeah, that is bad...
I would venture to guess that most of those guys didn't lock up two of the best receivers last season. Terrell held Terry McLaurin and Justin Jefferson to a combined two catches for 14 yards.
By the way, McLaurin and Jefferson made the Pro Bowl, Terrell did not.
With how he finished last season, I am not sure you could name five cornerbacks you would rather have than A.J. He was sensational even beyond those two games against the Commanders and Vikings.
Even if he had ranked in the top 15 in PFF's ranking, there would be a story to write. He deserves to be in the top 10, maybe even the top 5.
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Ultimately, it doesn't matter. This is nothing new for the Falcons' cornerback; the league rarely recognizes him, so he will use that to be even better this season.