NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks highlighted 10 “perfect player-team fits” from the 2026 NFL Draft.
Among them is former Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round with the No. 48 overall pick.
Not only is Terrell getting to play in the NFL for his hometown team, but he also gets to play with his older brother – former Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell.
Brooks ranked Avieon at No. 8 on the list of 10 perfect player-team fits. Here’s what Brooks had to say:
One of the biggest feel-good stories of the draft could also help the Falcons claim an NFC South crown behind a stingy secondary led by a pair of high-IQ brothers with ball-hawking skills. Older brother A.J. Terrell — drafted 16th overall by Atlanta in 2020 — will be on hand, setting the example as a premier cover corner on the island. Avieon can follow A.J.’s lead to become an elite slot defender in the kind of see-ball, get-ball scheme that suits an instinctive turnover machine (Avieon posted three picks and eight forced fumbles in college). As the younger Terrell settles into his role as a sub-package defender, the Falcons’ investment in the family business could pay off in a playoff appearance at season’s end.
The Terrell brothers join the McSwain brothers (Chuck and Rod) and the Perry brothers (William and Michael Dean) as the third set of brothers to be selected out of Clemson in the last 50 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 in 2021, is entering his seventh season with the Falcons.
“Being able to stay home and play with my brother, it has been a dream come true,” Avieon said after being drafted. “It’s something we have always talked about and now it has happened. We feel good about it.”
A 2025 All-American and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist, Avieon was credited with 128 tackles (nine for loss), 30 pass breakups, three interceptions, four sacks, eight forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries across 39 games (31 starts) in his career as a Tiger from 2023-25.
The two-time All-ACC selection set Clemson records for a defensive back in forced fumbles in a season (five in 2025) and a career (eight), and he led all cornerbacks nationally in forced fumbles across his Clemson career.
Terrell became Clemson’s ninth all-time NFL Draft selection by the Falcons, the 20th defensive back drafted in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure and the 17th Clemson defensive back selected in the first two rounds in the Common Draft era.