Avieon Terrell: Scouting report on Clemson's true junior cornerback
He's better in man than zone coverage, and is most comfortable playing off. His patience early in the play when aligned 8-9 yards off the ball is impressive, and he explodes downhill when routes stay in front of him. However, when he has to carry routes downfield and turn his back to the line of scrimmage, he'll have occasional stumbles at the top of the route.
Terrell is an above-average off-man defender, but is just adequate when pressed. His footspeed is good enough to mirror and match most receivers, but he'll have moments of being slow to react at the break point. He also doesn't deliver the strongest initial jam at the line of scrimmage, but, to his credit, he's tough enough not to get thrown around by bigger receivers.
He's average playing zone, and his instincts dip here. Like when he's pressed, he's a beat slower to react and gets passive to routes running through his area. This should be correctable since he can rely on his physical tools, but he needs to be a cleaner processor in zone.
Terrell's tackling was a pleasant surprise when watching his film. He's not afraid to square up ball carriers one-on-one in space, and he'll throw his body around in traffic. He's also a solid contributor in run support.
The disappointing area was his ball skills. Although his hands are solid, he struggled to consistently find the ball when he had to turn his back to the line of scrimmage. He's tough at the catch point when the play stays in front of him, but he has to get better at getting his head around on deeper throws.
Terrell is a young, experienced cornerback with multiple NFL-ready athletic tools, but he may be too tailored to Clemson's off-man-heavy scheme. He must become a more complete defender to solidify his standing in the 2026 class. Check out my full Avieon Terell preseason report and grade on my Substack.
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