Background

Avieon Terrell was born on January 11, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended Westlake High School, where he played cornerback and wide receiver, posting 86 tackles and 6 interceptions across his prep career. He is the younger brother of A.J. Terrell, who was a first-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons out of Clemson in 2020 and earned All-Pro honors. Avieon watched his brother don the orange and purple growing up and committed to Clemson on June 6, 2022, following the same path. He played in 13 games with 5 starts as a true freshman in 2023 and recorded 18 tackles and an interception. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore in 2024, earning Second-Team All-ACC. His junior year in 2025 cemented his status: 46 tackles, 3 sacks,11 pass breakups, and a school single-season record 5 forced fumbles by a defensive back. He earned First-Team All-ACC, Second-Team AP All-American, Clemson's first AP All-American at cornerback since Cordrea Tankersley in 2016, and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist recognition. Career totals across 39 games and 31 starts: 128 tackles, 9 TFL, 4 sacks, 3 interceptions, 30 pass breakups, 8 forced fumbles (tying the Clemson career record for a defensive back and leading all cornerbacks nationally), and 3 fumble recoveries. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as a junior.

Physical Attributes

That is not great testing there for Terrell, though we can mitigate some of it with the fact he did his speed testing during his pro day only and pulled his hamstring running that time. It shows on tape that he is not an elite athlete for a CB, but good enough. His first step is slower, and he takes until probably his third or fourth step to get to his top speed. He is a very fluid and smooth mover who I graded out as a 9 for on field drills during the combine, the best of anyone who took part. He shows great lateral agility and quickness, and combines it with a smooth hip turn.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my CB radar charts, you can find more information here

Terrell played mostly outside CB during Clemson's ill-fated 2025 season. He was tasked with keeping up with the toughest matchups most of the time, while not being a strict travel corner. For a team that struggled as much as it did, Terrell had to do a lot to hold down the passing defense, and performed admirably.

One thing is abundantly clear with Terrell, and that is in the NFL he is going to have to win with superb technique and his smarts over his athleticism. He has already shown in college an ability to read plays and WRs, but will need to improve it even more in the league.

In straight man to man coverage, Terrell has a hard time dealing with physical receivers. Against Louisville, Chris Bell nearly pushed him out of the play on a few routes and left Terrell scrambling to get back into coverage. Speed also messes with him as his burst is not ideal, so he starts behind and might not have enough time to close down the receiver before the QB gets the ball out. Understandably, his work in press could use some work with that, but does mirror and bail very well.

Terrell has good instincts in zone coverage, but his recognition does not overcome his average athleticism. He moves towards the catch point when the ball is just about to be released, and it leaves him just away from being able to make a play on the ball. If he could ID even a split second sooner, he would put himself in a position to make a lot more plays.

As for his tackling, Terrell is decent. He does not wrap up that well, but works hard. Especially in the run game, where he is not afraid to get in there and make himself a nuisance amongst the big bodies. Even better though is his peanut punch, which saw him force eight fumbles over the past two years. A very valuable trait to have that excuses some missed tackles, and tackles where the offensive player earns a few extra yards.

Grade and Outlook

I do not doubt Terrell's ability to play outside in the NFL and believe he deserves the opportunity to prove himself there. I acknowledge his best position will probably be in the slot. Terrell's mental acuity and the opportunity he has to lean on his brother give him an edge in his development path. While he will always struggle with speed and physicality, I trust in his ability to learn how to better mitigate that.

Grade: 6.2 (Late 1st Rounder / Early 2nd Rounder)