NFL Top 10 Cornerbacks: Where's Falcons A.J. Terrell Rank?
Last season, the Atlanta Falcons defense ranked 29th in points allowed and 26th in yards allowed, but cornerback A.J. Terrell wasn't to blame for the unit's struggles. Terrell, living on his own island, rose above the flames of the group around him to earn second-team All-NFL honors.
This offseason, Terrell has recorded several accolades, including being named the league's top corner by NFL's Next Gen Stats. While the 23-year-old is not viewed quite as highly by league executives, coaches and players, his peers collectively voted him as the ninth-best corner in the NFL, according to ESPN.
Terrell gave up the lowest completion percentage as the nearest defender of anyone on this list (41.1%, per NFL Next Gen Stats), allowing 30 receptions on 73 targets for 297 yards and three touchdowns. And per Next Gen Stats, his 0.6 yards allowed per snap were the lowest in the NFL among outside corners with at least 300 coverage snaps last season. And one NFL team told me it counted Terrell giving up one explosive play in man coverage all year. - ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
Terrell is expected to take another step forward in his third season as a pro, as the Falcons signed veteran corner Casey Hayward to join him in the secondary. Further, Atlanta added pass rushers Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketie, and DeAngelo Malone throughout the offseason.
As a result, Terrell should have to cover for a shorter period of time, while also having a running mate on the other side who can blanket receivers. Despite having the league's worst pass rush and a revolving door of nickel corners last season, Terrell still managed to post three interceptions and 16 passes defended.
"His production last year was insane," an NFC scout told ESPN. "He rarely gave up an explosive play."
Terrell's highest vote in the list was second, while the lowest had him unranked. He slotted in just ahead of fellow 2020 draftee Trevon Diggs, with the Dallas Cowboys star rounding out the top 10.
For Terrell, the next step simply involves proving that his second season wasn't a fluke, asserting that he's truly one of the top cover-corners in the league. According to one coach in the survey, Atlanta's third-year star is well on his way.
"He's the next really good one for me," an AFC coach said. "He's top three to five right now."
While Terrell's official ranking is a bit of a mixed opinion, the consensus remains that he's an upper-echelon corner with an extremely bright future. For a Falcons team in need of pieces to build around, look no further than this top-10 corner.
