CLEMSON – Avieon Terrell is joining his brother in the NFL.
The former Clemson cornerback was selected No. 48 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round on Friday night in the 2026 NFL Draft. Terrell is the fourth Clemson player selected in this year’s draft, as he joins offensive tackle Blake Miller (No. 17, first round), Peter Woods (No. 29, first round) and T.J. Parker (No. 35, second round).
Terrell will now get to play with his older brother A.J. Terrell, who is an All-Pro cornerback for the Falcons.
The Falcons selected A.J. with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Terrell brothers are the third set of brothers to both be drafted out of Clemson in the last 40-plus years.
The McSwain brothers became the first Clemson brother tandem in that span to accomplish the feat. Running back Chuck McSwain was a fifth-round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1983 NFL Draft, while his brother, Rod, earned a third-round selection by the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive back in the 1984 NFL Draft.
The legendary Perry brothers began their repeat of the feat a year later. The Chicago Bears drafted William “Refrigerator” Perry with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Three years later, his brother, Michael Dean, went 50th overall to the Cleveland Browns in the 1988 NFL Draft.
Both Perry brothers made instant impacts, with William helping the Bears’ dominant defense to a Super Bowl title in his rookie season and with Michael Dean earning All-Rookie Team honors to commence a career that included six Pro Bowl selections.
As for Avieon Terrell, he was a 2025 All-American and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist. He was credited with 128 tackles (9.0 for loss), 30 pass breakups, three interceptions, 4.0 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his 39-game career.
Terrell was a two-time All-ACC selection, including second-team honors in 2024 and first-team honors in 2025. He set Clemson records for a defensive back in forced fumbles in a season (five in 2025) and a career (eight from 2023-25). He led all cornerbacks nationally in forced fumbles across his three-year Clemson career.
Like his brother, Terrell was a consistent player throughout his Clemson career. He was credited with 18 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception as a true freshman. He was one of six Clemson true freshmen to appear in all 13 games, which included five starts.
In 2024, Terrell started all 14 games for Clemson, while racking up 64 tackles (4.5 for loss), 13 pass breakups, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a sack. His numbers earned him second-team All-ACC honors.
As good as 2024 was, the 2025 season was even better for Terrell. He earned second-team AP All-American honors to became Clemson’s first AP All-American at cornerback since Cordrea Tankersley in 2016.
He also was a first-team All-ACC selection by both the league and the AP. He tallied 46 tackles (4.5 for loss), a career-high 3.0 sacks, 11 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Terrell’s five forced fumbles were a Clemson single-season record for a defensive back — joined Brandon Maye (five in 2009) and T.J. Parker (six in 2024) as the only players in school history to force five fumbles in a single season.
