A day later, Falcons cornerback duo of brothers Avieon and A.J. Terrell can’t stop hugging
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Avieon Terrell and older brother A.J. shared an emotional moment during the NFL draft, thanks to the Atlanta Falcons.
It also was a rare moment.
The Falcons made Avieon Terrell, a cornerback from Clemson, their first pick in the draft on Friday. A.J. Terrell, Atlanta’s first-round pick in 2020, then shared a long hug with his brother at the family’s draft party.
“It made me emotional because that hug … that was something we don’t do,” Avieon Terrell said Saturday.
Though both played cornerback at Clemson and went to Atlanta’s Westlake High School, A.J. Terrell is 27, six years older than his brother. This is their first opportunity to be teammates.
Suddenly, they can’t stop hugging.
“Me and A.J. have just been laughing,” Avieon Terrell said. “We’ve hugged each other about 20 times.”
Avieon Terrell was the Falcons’ second-round pick at No. 48 overall. Atlanta did not have a first-round pick.
Coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham called A.J. Terrell before the pick to share their plan to draft his brother.
“It was Ian’s idea to show respect to A.J. and let him know what was in the works,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, there was no guarantee that Avieon was going to still be there at that time, but we just felt like we wanted to give him a heads up.”
The Falcons added Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch in the third round on Friday night. They completed their draft with four picks on Saturday: linebacker Kendal Daniels of Oklahoma in the fourth round; defensive tackle Anterio Thompson of Washington and Louisiana State linebacker/edge rusher Harold Perkins in the sixth; and offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa of Ohio State in the seventh.
Adding depth was a goal
Cunningham was interested in adding depth after beginning the draft with only five picks. He completed a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, moving down in the fourth round from No. 122 overall to No. 134 in order to add a sixth-rounder, No. 208 overall. That gave Atlanta six picks in the draft.
“I felt it worked out well,” Cunningham said. “We were able to get another player with a trade. … I feel like we got some good players. We got some good players that are going to be able to help our football team offensively and defensively.”
Help at offensive tackle
The addition of Onianwa (6-7, 331 pounds) addresses a position of need following right tackle Kaleb McGary’s retirement. The Falcons signed former Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who will be projected as a starter, but it’s only a one-year deal. Left tackle Jake Matthews is 34 years old.
Big hits from an undersized cornerback
Avieon Terrell (5-10 3/4, 186 pounds) was often described as undersized by draft analysts but the cornerback played big. Terrell set a Clemson record for defensive backs by forcing five fumbles as a junior in 2025. He had eight forced fumbles for his career.
“They can say the undersized stuff but when we’re on the field it’s me against him,” Terrell said after arriving at the Falcons’ practice facility. “I’m very good at punching at the ball. … I feel that’s one of the best parts of my game.”
Perkins’ Hall of Fame dream
Perkins had a productive 2025 season with four sacks, three interceptions and eight tackles for losses before running a strong 40-yard dash at the LSU pro day. With that body of work, he showed he has recovered from reconstructive knee surgery in 2024.
Perkins comes to the Falcons with big expectations. He is aiming for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“My end goal wasn’t just to get to the league,” Perkins said. “My end goal was to have a gold jacket.”
Branch’s arrest didn’t deter Falcons
Branch was arrested early Sunday on two misdemeanor charges in Athens — obstructing public sidewalks/streets and the obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Five days later, Cunningham took the wide receiver in the third round.
“It didn’t affect the evaluation of the player,” Cunningham said. “We’re obviously well aware of the incident, but it didn’t affect our evaluation.”
Branch said no team was concerned about the incident.
“I’ve heard that from every team. Nobody was concerned,” Branch said. “They know who I am as a person and the character that I hold myself to, and I think that that was pretty much self-explanatory, given the report and everything.”
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