Clemson's Avieon Terrell Receives Big Praise From ESPN's Mel Kiper

Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell has been projected on plenty of mock draft boards as a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. 

Terrell had a solid 2025 season, recording 48 tackles, three sacks, five forced fumbles, and nine passes defensed. The young cornerback finished his college career with three interceptions, all of which came before the 2025 campaign.

ESPN's Mel Kiper has an interesting prediction for where Terrell will go in the draft this week. He thinks Terrell will be picked on Day 2. 

However, Kiper named Terrell as one of his three favorite cornerbacks in the year's class along with Chandler Rivers from Duke and D'Angelo Ponds from Indiana.

"And Terrell can flip his hips, stick on even the fastest receivers and then find the ball at just the right moment," Kiper wrote. "He had three picks and 27 pass breakups over three seasons.

"Terrell, Ponds and Rivers aren't shy about contact despite their frames. They're tough cornerbacks. And I'd bet all three do a lot of the same impactful things they did in college -- pick off passes, force fumbles, block kicks, etc. -- in the pros."

Avieon is related to Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell. During the NFL Combine earlier this year in Indianapolis, Avieon told reporters there are small differences between the two brothers when it comes to football.

“We both dawgs,” Avieon said, via The Clemson Insider. “I tell him all the time, I want the ball more. We have battles in the summer, who gonna get the ball more? So, I feel like I get the ball more than him.”

“But ain’t no real difference. He’s just bigger.”

A.J. acclimated to the NFL well coming out of Clemson in the first round of the 2020 draft. He earned All-Pro honors in 2021.

It remains to be seen if Avieon can develop into a star defensive player in his own right in the NFL. He has a knack for finding and knocking out the ball, though it would be nice if he could up his interception game at the next level.