Continuing its offseason position rankings, a national outlet recently ranked this former Clemson star among the NFL’s best cornerbacks.
Pro Football Focus published its ranking of the league’s top 32 cornerbacks ahead of the 2023 season, and former Tiger A.J. Terrell made the top half of that list.
PFF ranked Terrell as the 12th-best cornerback in the NFL entering what will be his fourth season with the Atlanta Falcons after being selected by the franchise with the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
A 2021 second-team All-Pro, Terrell has posted 202 tackles, 32 passes defended, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 44 career games (all starts).
“Terrell is a great case study in the volatility of coverage and cornerback performance,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote. “His rookie season was solid before a breakout sophomore campaign saw him play like an All-Pro with an 85.6 PFF coverage grade. In 2022, his play dropped back down to earth and he allowed nine touchdowns. Terrell definitely possesses the ability to be an elite cornerback but needs to prove he can find that play again in 2023.”
After tallying 81 total tackles, 16 pass breakups and three interceptions in 2021 (all career highs), Terrell recorded nine pass breakups, a fumble recovery and 47 total tackles last season. While it wasn’t as strong of a season for Terrell compared to the previous one, it’s worth noting that he battled a hamstring injury that caused him to miss a few games.
Atlanta picked up Terrell’s fifth-year option in late April, keeping him in a Falcons uniform and off the free agent market until after the 2024 season.
Pro Football Network also recently ranked Terrell as the 12th-best cornerback in the league.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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