It’s hard to imagine anyone as happy as Avieon Terrell in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Why?
The former Clemson cornerback is not just getting to play in the NFL, and he is not just getting to play for his hometown team, but he also gets to play with his older brother – former Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell.
For the first time in his football life, Avieon will get the opportunity to play with his brother after following his older brother to Westlake High School in Atlanta and then to Clemson, where both became stars and now NFL Draft picks.
The Atlanta Falcons picked Avieon with the No. 48 overall pick in the second round on Friday. The Falcons selected older brother A.J. No. 16 overall in the first round of the 2020 draft.
“Being able to stay home and play with my brother, it has been a dream come true,” Terrell said on Falcons.com moments after being drafted. “It something we have always talked about and now it has happened. We feel good about it.”
The Terrell brothers are the third set of brothers to both be drafted out of Clemson in the last 40-plus years. However, they are the first to be drafted by the same team and play on the same team in the NFL.
A.J., an All-Pro for the Falcons, is entering his seventh season with the Falcons.
“I can’t wait to let big bro lead me the right way, I can’t wait,” Avieon said.
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.
“Avieon is as good as we’ve had here. Highly skilled,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said in a prepared statement from Clemson. “His brother was a first rounder. To me, Avieon is a first-rounder talent-wise. I think he can play either corner spot, he can play the nickel, and he’s an elite competitor.
“He loves to prepare. He loves to practice. He’s a gym rat. He’s a very smart, instinctual player, and he’s a guy that was a joy to coach. He showed up and loved to compete. Banged up? It didn’t matter. He was always ready to go compete.”
