Falcons CB Is How Great? PFF Makes Bold A.J. Terrell Claim
The Atlanta Falcons are 6-8 on the season and find themselves all but out of the playoff race, but cornerback A.J. Terrell could find himself in the race for another honor if Pro Football Focus (PFF) has a say.
Terrell is PFF's highest rated cornerback in the NFL out of 117 who have accumulated enough snaps to be eligible. His 90.2 coverage grade also ranks first in the league.
"A.J. Terrell has allowed one 1 catch and fewer than 10 yards in 4 straight games," PFF's Mike Renner wrote on Twitter. "He should be a first-team All-Pro CB."
Critics might argue that Terrell is rarely targeted because of the weaknesses across the Falcons secondary including Fabian Moreau who is ranked the 86th cornerback in the NFL.
But Terrell has only given up 23 receptions on 52 targets (44.2%) the entire season. He's only allowed 150 yards on those 23 catches (6.5 average).
Trevon Diggs of the Dallas Cowboys is leading the NFL in interceptions with 10, but PFF isn't as impressed with his overall play. Diggs is ranked below Moreau as the 89th cornerback in the league.
In comparison with Terrell, he's been targeted 88 times and allowed 51 catches (58%) for 899 yards (17.6 average).
PFF has a vested interest in seeing their No. 1 cornerback selected as a first-team All-Pro to help validate their ranking process.
But it's tough to argue against the numbers, or lack thereof, allowed by Terrell.
Terrell is one of the few bright spots on the Falcons this year, offense or defense. He's just 23-years old and can be a building block for the Falcons defense for a long time.
