Falcons Draft Avieon Terrell at 48, Reuniting with Brother A.J.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday night in Pittsburgh, reuniting the 21-year-old with his older brother A.J. Terrell in the team's secondary.

Avieon, a first-team All-ACC selection in his junior year, becomes the first player chosen by the Falcons' new leadership group, which includes president of football operations Matt Ryan, general manager Ian Cunningham and coach Kevin Stefanski. The pick creates a brotherly duo at cornerback, with A.J., now 27 and entering his seventh NFL season, having been Atlanta's first-round choice, No. 16 overall, out of Clemson in 2020. The siblings, who never played together at Clemson or their high school in Atlanta due to an age gap, shared an emotional embrace surrounded by family when the selection was announced.

The Falcons entered the draft without a first-round pick, one of eight teams to do so. They traded it to the Los Angeles Rams last year to move up and select edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26. Pearce recorded 10.5 sacks as a rookie, contributing to a promising defensive front, but his season was overshadowed by an arrest on...