A draftee celebrating with his family and friends after hearing his name called is one of the best parts of the NFL Draft. But few get to celebrate with a new teammate, and even fewer get to celebrate with a new teammate who’s also a family member.
That’s the case for cornerback Avieon Terrell, though: The Falcons took him with the No. 48 overall pick Friday, pairing him with older brother A.J. Terrell in the Atlanta secondary.
Brothers playing together isn’t super rare — Cameron and Connor Heyward did it last year for the Steelers, as did Quinnen and Quincy Williams for the Jets — but two playing the same position for the same team is.
A.J. has been a constant for the Falcons ever since they drafted him No. 16 overall in 2020. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2021, and he signed a four-year, $81 million extension ahead of the 2024 season. Now, he’ll be lining up alongside his brother. Interestingly, though, A.J. previously said he hoped not to play with his little brother.
“I want to play against him and see him walk on the sideline,” A.J. told ESPN a few weeks ago. “I want to see him play and I want him to have his own story somewhere else. I don’t want the narrative to be the Terrell brothers.”
If it can help the Falcons’ defense improve, though, A.J. should be all for it. Avieon, like A.J., starred at Clemson, and he started 31 straight games to finish his career. He has inside/outside versatility, and he forced eight fumbles over the past two seasons. Though he doesn’t have the size of his brother (Avieon is 5’11” and 180 pounds; A.J. is 6’1″ and 200 pounds), Avieon has earned plaudits for his tackling, aggressiveness, transition skills and ability to diagnose plays quickly. CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Mike Renner had Avieon as the No. 10 overall prospect in his prospect rankings.
“I would say he was competitive as a mentor,” Avieon said of his brother, per ESPN. “He’s been a mentor my whole life. So, somebody I can look up to, been looking up to since I’ve been knowing football, first since I was 5. And then the competitive part, we’re still competitive to this day. I want to do everything he does. We got that type of relationship.”
Already brothers and a mentor/mentee pair, they now add NFL teammates to their connections.
