'It Can Be Special': Falcons CBs A.J. Terrell, Jeff Okudah Thriving Together
It's Dec. 28, 2019, and two of the best cornerbacks in college football - Clemson's A.J. Terrell and Ohio State's Jeff Okudah - are set to face off in the playoff semifinals for the right to play LSU in the national championship.
Fast forward a few hours, and the two emotions couldn't be more different - jubilation for Terrell, who lived to fight for another day, and devastation for Okudah, whose college career came to a heartbreaking close as the Tigers topped the Buckeyes 28-23.
But the two corners found mutual respect for one another that day, which was only furthered in limited encounters at the NFL Combine a few months later.
Okudah and Terrell both came off the board during the opening frame of the 2020 draft, the former going to the Detroit Lions at No. 3 overall and the latter returning home to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16.
The Lions played the Falcons later that year, with Okudah getting marginal revenge, walking away with a 23-22 victory ... but again, mutual respect grew.
Now some three years later, Okudah is back in Atlanta - this time on the same side as Terrell after being traded by the Lions in April, forming a talented duo on the outside.
And thus far, the two are off to a fast start, growing closer this offseason during workouts and OTAs, where both have been standouts entering their fourth professional season.
Both still only 24 years old, Okudah and Terrell are eagerly awaiting their first competitive on-field matchup together and building towards big returns this summer ... all the while keeping an eye on the past to help drive their future.
"Just me and Jeff both coming in together, it's really fun having somebody that you went through the whole process together with, being able to team up and apply the work we've been putting in together," Terrell said.
This "work" extends far beyond the Falcons' facilities; Okudah and Terrell, along with Dee Alford, have used the same defensive back trainer, Oliver Davis, for the past few off-season's, turning to the Atlanta-based coach for their specialized programs.
In a sense, Okudah and Terrell have been attached to the hip for the last three and a half years, starting with that College Football Playoff game. From there, they've had the pre-draft process and rookie off-season marred by COVID-19, followed by up-and-down rookie years.
The two experienced largely different second seasons, as Terrell earned second-team All-Pro honors while Okudah suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 and missed the rest of the year, fresh off having his rookie campaign cut short by a groin injury.
Things returned to normal this past year, as Okudah and Terrell started each of the 15 and 14 games they played in, respectively, and forced sub-60 percent completion percentages when targeted while serving as their team's top corner.
Perhaps most importantly, both are still ascending young defensive backs - and Falcons assistant head coach of defense Jerry Gray believes they have a chance to keep climbing together.
"You've got two competitors; we know they compete because you wouldn't get drafted in the first round," Gray said. "You've got great skills, so you wouldn't drafted in the first round. Now, we've got to blend those two guys together and let them see that when you've got two great players on opposite sides, now they can't just target one guy, and that's what we're trying to do."
Atlanta's first look at its tandem has come this summer, as Terrell, Okudah and the rest of the rebuilt secondary headlined by safety Jessie Bates III has faced the Falcons offense during team periods.
As such, record-setting rookie receiver Drake London has seen quite a bit of both Okudah and Terrell and has walked away optimistic with what they bring to the table ... and believes his status as a blossoming No. 1 wideout should only help the corners, as well.
"A.J. and Jeff are kind of almost the same in play style, but the way they carry themselves - they're going to want you to beat you up and they're going to want to make it known they locked you down," London said. "I love going against them and it's just iron sharpening iron.
"It's only making me better and them better, I hope so."
This is largely the underlying theme of Falcons camp - coach Arthur Smith has said on multiple occasions he anticipates this summer being highly competitive from top to bottom with all of the talent he and general manager Terry Fontenot have brought in.
For the uber-competitive Okudah and Terrell, this is an overwhelmingly positive development - but even without the offensive talent going against them each day, the duo is focused on motivating one another to take the next step.
"It's going to push us to be better every single day," Okudah said. "Both of us are natural competitors, so when we step on the field, each of us want to be the best that we can be."
This was the same mantra both Terrell and Okudah had entering that College Football Playoff Semifinal game in Dec. 2019, and it remains prevalent today.
Now, for the first time, the two will play together - and have their sights set on turning the jubilation that Terrell felt that dramatic winter night into a reoccurring theme this fall.
"It can be special," Terrell said. "We've just got to do the right things on and off the field, in the film room and apply it to the field."
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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