A.J. Terrell stays home as the Atlanta Falcons select him 16th in 2020 NFL Draft

A.J. Terrell is staying home as the Clemson cornerback was selected by his hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2020 draft. 

Terrell, who was 29-1 as a starter at Clemson joins Dan Quinn's defense as the Falcons selected the 6’1" 195-pound cornerback with the 16th overall pick.

NFL.com describes Terrell: “Long, press-man cornerback with thin lowers, but good overall size. Terrell has the foot agility and patience to pedal and mirror the release or jab and ride on it aggressively. He's an above-average athlete with quick burst to close out space in tight quarters, but he's not a classic click-and-close talent from off-man and issues with balance prevent sudden stops to shadow at the top of the route. The size and ability to hound 50/50 balls deserve recognition, but he lacks ball-hawking traits, which could cap him as an average future starter..”

According to ClemsonTigers.com:

“Concluded his three-year Clemson career credited with 107 career tackles (3.5 for loss), 20 pass breakups, six interceptions (returned for a total of 160 yards including a 44-yard touchdown) and two forced fumbles over 1,827 snaps in 44 games (30 starts) … 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 … helped Clemson to a 29-1 record in two years as a starter.”

Dabo Swinney on Terrell:

“A.J. Terrell is the Deshaun Watson of this group, and what I mean by that is he’s a Deshaun Watson at a different position. The reason I say that — and this is what I’ve told everybody — is his consistency. He’s handled himself like a pro since the day he got here as far as his maturity, his love of preparation, his mindset, and the type of teammate he is. He’s got unique intangibles to go along with a rare skill set for his position.”