Tag: AJ Terrell

Former Tiger ranked in ‘elite’ tier of NFL outside cornerbacks

Pro Football Focus this week released its 2022 NFL outside cornerback rankings and tiers. Former Clemson standout A.J. Terrell, who is entering his third season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, is one of nine players ranked in PFF’s “elite” tier of …

Pro Football Focus this week released its 2022 NFL outside cornerback rankings and tiers.

Former Clemson standout A.J. Terrell, who is entering his third season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, is one of nine players ranked in PFF’s “elite” tier of outside corners.

The two-time All-ACC selection as a Tiger checks in as the NFL’s No. 3 outside corner in PFF’s rankings, behind only five-time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey of the Los Angeles Rams at No. 1 and 2020 Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers at No. 2.

“Terrell was one of the biggest breakouts of the 2021 season — and the lone bright spot on Atlanta’s weak defense,” PFF’s Anthony Treash wrote. “The 2020 first-round pick allowed an NFL-leading 0.37 yards per coverage snap — a mark that was just one-hundredth of a yard off from the single-season PFF record owned by Asante Samuel (2010) and Nnamdi Asomugha (2008). He’s proving to be a scheme-versatile player with elite movement skills, speed and discipline. The former Clemson Tiger has developed into a reliable island corner, too, shutting down Mike Evans, Antonio Brown and D.J. Moore last year.”

Many felt Terrell was snubbed when he wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl last season, though he did earn second-team All-Pro honors by the Associated Press. 

Drafted by the Falcons in the first round (16th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, Terrell tallied 81 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, 16 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games last season.

The Atlanta native didn’t allow more than 32 yards in coverage in a game last season, allowed fewer than 20 yards in 13 games last season and also recorded the lowest passer rating allowed (47.5) and the lowest completion percentage allowed (43.9), according to PFF. Additionally, per PFF, Terrell yielded only 200 yards over the course of the entire season.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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Brother of former Clemson standout commits to the Tigers

The Clemson football program has picked up a commitment from the brother of another former Tigers standout. Class of 2023 cornerback Avieon Terrell from Atlanta’s Westlake High School announced his commitment to Dabo Swinney’s program Monday via …

The Clemson football program has picked up a commitment from the brother of another former Tigers standout.

Class of 2023 cornerback Avieon Terrell from Atlanta’s Westlake High School announced his commitment to Dabo Swinney’s program Monday via social media.

Terrell, a composite four-star, who Rivals considers to be the No. 16 cornerback and the nation’s No. 107 overall prospect regardless of position in the class of 2023, chose Clemson over schools like Michigan State, Kentucky, Auburn and Texas A&M.

Aveion, of course, is the younger brother of former Clemson and current Atlanta Falcons cornerback, A.J. Terrell. Clemson offered the younger Terrell brother back in April. 29, 2020, and he’s made countless trips to The Valley ever since.

He was last on Clemson on Wednesday, June 1, which seemingly sealed the deal on Monday’s commitment. Avieon spoke at length with Clemson’s head coach, who also had an extensive conversation with his parents as well.

The conversation seemed promising at the time and wound up being a good omen for Monday’s announcement.

Clemson was always the team to beat in Avieon’s recruitment, especially with how AJ flourished under the tutelage of cornerbacks coach Mike Reed. 

We last spoke with Avieon after he attended Clemson’s Elite Junior Day at the end of January and he relayed what Reed’s message was to him at the time.

“He was just saying that it’s all love, even if I go somewhere else it’s all love,” Avieon said. “But, Clemson’s definitely at the top one of my schools and he was just saying how he could use me in their defense.”

While Aveion didn’t attend Clemson’s official visit weekend, he becomes the fifth member of Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class, joining Edison (Miami, Fla.) four-star wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph, Briarwood Christian (Birmingham, Ala.) four-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina, St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) four-star edge rusher David Ojiegbe and St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star cornerback Branden Strozier.

Reed can now configure how he’ll use both the younger Terrell brother and Strozier in Clemson’s future defense.

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Cool moment for this former Tiger in the NFL

Cool opportunity for this former Clemson star in the NFL. Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, a second-team All-Pro in his second NFL season in 2021, had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at Wednesday night’s Atlanta Braves game vs. the …

Cool opportunity for this former Clemson star in the NFL.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, a second-team All-Pro in his second NFL season in 2021, had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at Wednesday night’s Atlanta Braves game vs. the Chicago Cubs at Truist Park in Atlanta.

A two-time All-ACC selection during his three-year Clemson career (2017-19), Terrell was drafted by the Falcons in the first round (16th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Atlanta native had a breakout season last year, when he tallied 81 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, 16 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games last season.

Terrell didn’t allow more than 32 yards in coverage in a game last season, allowed fewer than 20 yards in 13 games last season and also recorded the lowest passer rating allowed (47.5) and the lowest completion percentage allowed (43.9), according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, per PFF, Terrell yielded only 200 yards over the course of the entire season.

In 44 games (30 starts) at Clemson, Terrell recorded 107 career tackles (3.5 for loss), 29 pass breakups, six interceptions (returned for a total of 160 yards including a 44-yard touchdown) and two forced fumbles. He started all 15 games in his first year as a starter in 2018, scoring the first points of the College Football Playoff National Championship on a pick-six, and helped Clemson to a 29-1 record in two years as a starter.

–Photo for this article courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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Many feel former Tiger snubbed by Pro Bowl

A former Tiger was snubbed from making his first career Pro Bowl and Clemson and Falcons fans alike were up in arms about the news. A.J. Terell has statistically been one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL this season. He has only allowed 23 …

A former Tiger was snubbed from making his first career Pro Bowl and Clemson and Falcons fans alike were up in arms about the news.

A.J. Terell has statistically been one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL this season. He has only allowed 23 receptions on the year and hasn’t allowed an opposing receiver to go over 35 yards this season.

Opposing quarterbacks are not throwing Terrell’s way, as he has the lowest completion percentage against him and yards allowed per completion, among qualified cornerbacks.

As Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 rated cornerback this season, it’s hard to fathom why Terrell was left off the Pro Bowl roster. Unfortunately, he plays in a conference that is also home to the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Trevon Diggs, Marshon Lattimore and Darius Slay.

There surely will be plenty of Pro Bowl opportunities for Terrell in the future.

Former Tiger Intercepts Panthers

Former Clemson corner A.J. Terrell continues his strong second year in the National Football League. Check out Terrell’s interception against the Panthers. It was the former Tigers’ second of the season. Go up and get it, A.J. @ajterrell_8 | …

Former Clemson corner A.J. Terrell continues his strong second year in the National Football League.

Check out Terrell’s interception against the Panthers.  It was the former Tigers’ second of the season.

5 recruits Brent Venables’ can secure as he becomes Oklahoma’s next head coach

As he starts to settle in, who are the 5 recruits that Brent Venables and the current staff should focus on?

After an agonizing week filled with rumors, misinformation, smokescreens, de-commitments, and borderline scandals, the Oklahoma Sooners have found their man. The name is familiar in Oklahoma as Brent Venables takes the reigns as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. From 1999 to 2011, Venables coached at Oklahoma, where he served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach for the Sooners under legendary head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops is currently serving as interim while things are sorted out for Venables and the rest of the potential new staff.

For Venables, the bit of mess he walked in isn’t catastrophic, but it’s worthy of note. They are less than two weeks away from the Early Signing Day, and their 2022 class is currently 17th on 247Sports team rankings after being 7th just a week ago.

They’ve lost four 2022 recruits since news of Riley’s departure to USC, and Venables will have his work cut out for him to regain those commitments, add others, or bring guys from Clemson’s recruiting class.

Who are the five players that Brent Venables and the current staff should look to close the deal on?

Former Tiger leads the NFL

After entering the NFL draft with one remaining year of eligibility, there were some that questioned whether A.J. Terell should’ve returned for his senior season at Clemson. The Atlanta Falcons drafted Terell in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft …

After entering the NFL draft with one remaining year of eligibility, there were some that questioned whether A.J. Terell should’ve returned for his senior season at Clemson.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Terell in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft and the rest is history.

It sure looks like the former Tiger made a good decision as he leads the league in an important category for cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Falcons’ AJ Terrell tests positive for Covid week after 89 snaps vs Cowboys

The NFL has their first positive Covid-19 case of the 2020 regular season.

The NFL world is collectively holding their breath right now. Atlanta Falcons rookie corner AJ Terrell, takenbwith the No. 16 overall pick in April’s draft, has become the first player in the regular season to test positive for Covid-19. His swift and full recovery is the paramount concern, but there also has to be some apprehension as the league’s testing, contact tracing and protective measures now are being tested themselves for the first time since the games have actually begun and teams are interacting with other teams.

Last week Sunday, six days ago, Terrell was on the field for 89 snaps while defending against the Dallas Cowboys. As of this time, no other Falcons players or Cowboys players have tested positive.

The Falcons returned back to Atlanta following the game against the Cowboys and will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Cowboys boarded a plane on Saturday to travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks.

NFL players, coaches and medical personnel (Tier 1) as well as other essential members (Tier 2) undergo daily testing via BioReference Laboratories, who have a testing facility at every team’s practice facility. They are also equipped with daily symptom screening and temperature checks for those entering the facility.

Even with the daily testing, however, it is unknown currently when Terrell may have contracted the virus, and if he was presymptomatic he could have unknowingly spread it to others at any point after that. The virus can take between 2 to 14 days to present symptoms, but is spreadable before they show.

Terrell will be sidelined for at least five days, in the case the result is a false positive, and at least 10 days if it’s a verified positive. A player must have two negative results at least 24 hours apart in order to return to the facility.

Players have electronic monitoring devices on them as the move through their facilities, which makes contact tracing much easier in the controlled environment, but there is no bubble like with the NBA and NHL seasons, meaning players are susceptible to exposure at other points in their day.

The NFL has handed out over $1 million in fines to teams and coaches for violating the mask guidelines during games. On Friday, the league sent out a memo indicating one team was under investigation for having “unauthorized locker room access”, violating the mandate of who or how many people are allowed to be in close proximity to each other. That team remains unknown.

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6 first-round prospects most often linked to Cowboys at No. 17

Who are the players most heavily linked to the Cowboys this draft season? Will one of these players be the pick at No. 17?

The Cowboys are back in the first round after a year-long hiatus. 728 days after Dallas selected LB Leighton Vander Esch 19th overall, the team is set to add its newest member, and ideally one who will provide an immediate on-field impact.

After months of build up, pot-stirring and speculation, teams will submit their choices virtually in what figures to be the most bizarre NFL draft in recent memory. No one knows how the picks will ultimately play out, but there seems to be consensus among the prospects expected to be available for the Cowboys are on the clock. In some years, Dallas’s pick is telegraphed via one of their ten draft commandments, but this year, the field is wide-open. Nonetheless, expect one of the names below to be one of the pick at No. 17.

OLB K’Lavon Chiasson

Behind Ohio State’s Chase Young, pass rusher is mixed bag in this draft class. But the Cowboys have an immediate and long-term need at defensive end, and their first pick might be their best shot at finding an answer here.

Chiasson recorded 6.5 sacks among his 13.5 tackles for loss for the National Champion LSU Tigers, and is seen by some as having as good a chance as any towards becoming an impact talent for any NFL team.

CB A.J. Terrell

If Chiasson isn’t there, is Terrell the most likely option at No. 17? Although initially seen as a fringe first-rounder, he’s gotten a lot of buzz recently, and definitely seems to be on Dallas’s radar. Despite a rough National Championship game, Terrell spent three productive years with Clemson, and possesses a lot of traits for teams to work with.

Safety Grant Delpit

Also from the Tiger’s champion defense, Grant Delpit could represent the  final piece for the Dallas defense. Long needing a high-end safety, Delpit is one of the top safety prospects available, and might be the first one off this year’s board. PFF’s Steve Palazzolo mocks him to Dallas, stating:

“Delpit is rangy when lined up as a deep safety, and he can cover tight ends in man — something that is extremely useful when going up against the Eagles and Giants in the NFC East. His 36 missed tackles over the past two years are an obvious concern, but few safeties in the draft can make an impact on the back end like Delpit. “

Safety Xavier McKinney

If not Delpit, another SEC safety could fill the Cowboys need at the position. Alabama DB Xavier McKinney is as good as they come, and 17 is around the sweet-spot for safeties in recent years:

2019: DB Darnell Savage (No. 21)

2018: DB Derwin James (No. 17)

2016: DB Keanu Neal (No. 17)

Depending how this draft plays out, McKinney could easily be the mid-first round pick who ends up one of the draft’s biggest steals. 105.3 The Fan’s RJ Choppy selected him for the Cowboys in PFF’s recent Media Mock Draft after Chaisson came off the board.

LB Kenneth Murray

The wildcard who seems to have emerged as actual option, Kenneth Murray might the pick who raises the most eyebrows in Dallas. Many agree with spending the pick on a defensive player makes the most sense, but not so much at linebacker, given the Cowboys seemingly have Jaylon Smith and Vander Esch installed there.

What Murray’s selection would say about either of those players remains to be seen; either Vander Esch isn’t a lock to return fully healthy, or they want to move Smith to more of a pass-rushing role. Whatever it is, the team has seemed enamored with Murray this draft season.

CB CJ Henderson

Henderson was a popular early mock pick for the Cowboys, but seems to have risen out of their selection range in Round 1. Some even see Henderson as the draft’s top corner, ahead of Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah.

It seems doubtful at this point he’ll still be on the board at No 17, but if he is, Henderson is one of the no-brainers Dallas should lock in.

Trade!

Trade down for more picks? Sure. To the Jets for Jamal Adams? Even better! The middle of the first round is a tricky spot, especially given this year’s draft prospects. It’s possible things break in the Cowboys’ favor, but there’s also a scenario where the team has no first-round graded players available. At that point, they could get creative. Dallas tried to deal for Earl Thomas during the 2018 draft-might they be even more willing to go all-in for 2020?

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4 don’ts for the Chicago Bears in 2020 NFL Draft

Let’s take a look at four things Bears GM Ryan Pace should not do in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Draft week is upon us, and we’re just days away from meeting the Bears’ 2020 draft class. Unlike last season, when it was best player available mentality, Chicago has several needs both on offense and defense that they need to tackle.

While no one can ever gauge what general manager Ryan Pace will do come draft time — which is exactly how he likes it — I have some suggestions for Pace and co. ahead of this 2020 NFL Draft.

Let’s take a look at four things Pace and the Bears should not do in the 2020 NFL Draft.

1. DON’T: Trade up

Tim Boyle/Chicago Sun-Times via AP

Pace has a reputation for seeing his guy and doing whatever it takes to get him. For better or for worse. Although, typically, for worse. For every Khalil Mack there’s a Mitchell Trubisky. For every Eddie Jackson, there’s a Leonard Floyd.

Pace has traded up each of the last four drafts, including twice in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he traded up to select Floyd and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. In 2017, Pace traded up to grab Trubisky and Jackson. Then in 2018, he traded up to draft receiver Anthony Miller, and most recently in 2019, to select running back David Montgomery. Pace isn’t shy about trading up to select guys high on his board, but there’s a belief that changes this year.

Considering the Bears are already thin with the draft capital they currently have — they have just two selections in the first four founds — Chicago can’t afford to be relinquishing picks. Now, trading down on the other hand, that would serve to benefit the Bears and perhaps lock up a third or fourth-round selection.

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