Falcons rookie Avieon Terrell ‘growing a lot,’ in line to start Week 1

FLOWERY BRANCH — When Avieon Terrell stormed out of the tunnel and onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium, his mind briefly took him to the heavens, then to a rarified head space he finds only on game days.

“Thank you, Lord,” Terrell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of his emotions taking the field before the Falcons’ 17-12 preseason over the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 28. “Once that whistle blew, it was time to crash out.”

Terrell, a second-round pick and the crown jewel of the Falcons’ first draft class under coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham, missed two weeks of training camp practices and the first two preseason games after suffering an ill-timed ankle injury.

Before that, Terrell had steadily climbed the Falcons’ depth chart, ascending from third-team corner in OTAs and minicamp to the first-string defense by the second week of training camp.

Crucially for Terrell, while he was physically limited, he was mentally engaged — and when he returned to the Falcons’ practice field Aug. 24, he did so as the defense’s starting nickelback.

“I wouldn’t say it was hard,” Terrell said of his missed time. “Just going through that treatment, but just taking mental reps. I took them serious — like, I was out there playing when I was on the sideline.”

Those reps, Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood said, are free. Players aren’t on the field, but they’re learning through the person who is. Hood said Terrell seized on the opportunity.

“He’s used those reps,” Hood said. “That’s important, and it’s also going to help facilitate his growth.”

During OTAs, Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said he expected Terrell to be a “significant contributor” this fall. Impact aside, the question, largely from the moment the Falcons drafted Terrell at No. 48 overall in April, centered around where he’d play.

Terrell has experience playing on the perimeter and in the slot. He cross-trained at both this summer, but when the Falcons split their nickel and outside corners into two groups during individual drills the final week of practice, Terrell went with the slots.

And when the Falcons’ starting defense took the field in the preseason finale against the Dolphins, there was Terrell, aligned in the slot with his brother, A.J., and fellow starter Mike Hughes working on the perimeter.

Initial reactions after the Falcons drafted Terrell included ideas that he’d replace Hughes, but Hood said the team merely wanted to put its three best corners on the field, regardless of age, resume or alignment.

Hughes earned his spot this offseason. It appears Terrell has, too, as the Falcons continually added more to his plate and he met the moment each time.

“I think both those guys have done a really good job,” Hood said.

Hood declined to put a starting title or snap projection on Terrell, but the Falcons enter Week 1 with plenty of optimism surrounding the 21-year-old Atlanta native.

“His preparation will tell us that, and how he progresses,” Hood said. “We don’t really look that far ahead, kind of just day to day right now where we are. And I’d say today, he’s growing a lot and that’s what we’re excited most about him.”

Terrell said his biggest area of growth from rookie minicamp to the end of the preseason centers around consistency, particularly regarding treatment. He’s learned how to better prep and take care of his body, a significant lesson between his recent ankle injury and the nagging hamstring ailment that disrupted his pre-draft process and early Falcons tenure.

Now entering his first professional season, Terrell said he’s fully healthy — and amped by the proposition of playing nickel this fall.

“I love it,” he said. “A nickel is everything. I feel like when you’re a nickel, you’re (also) a safety, a corner. I feel like it’s everything. So, it’s just fun.”

Terrell has impressed in meeting rooms. Hood said he carries a youthful energy, an eagerness to learn and an inquisitive mind that leads to quality questions.

Collectively, Hood feels Terrell has made significant strides in understanding the Falcons’ defense and how opposing offenses may try to attack him.

“The thing with him, when you put him on the grass, you can see the coverage skills,” Hood said. “I think right now it’s just helping him facilitate the football IQ, which isn’t low, but just the awareness of fast motion, what windows, what to change down compared to a run down, all of those things.

“So not necessarily if he’s inside or outside, it’s just more so his mindset in terms of how he’s being attacked and how he looks at offense.”