If you’re an NFL-hopeful with a brother already playing in the league, you’d definitely wish to be playing with him instead of against him. Not many get to enjoy this luxury, but the Terrell brothers do now. At the 2026 draft, the Atlanta Falcons helped make their “dream come true” by drafting the younger Terrell six years after the older one.

With the 48th overall pick, the Falcons drafted cornerback Avieon Terrell, who joins AJ Terrell (also a cornerback) at his home team. Avieon has followed his brother to yet another avenue, as both brothers played for Clemson. It was an emotional moment for the duo, who will now get to share such an important stage. This is the first time since 2022 that such a feat has happened.

When Avieon Terrell’s phone lit up, they knew. After his name was called in the draft, the two brothers embraced each other tightly for a good few moments, as the weight of the moment passed. Some tears were shed as well; the brothers are not just getting to live out their long-awaited goals of being NFL players, they get to do this together.

“I played the story in my head a few times,” A.J. said after Avieon was drafted. “I didn’t think it would happen, though.”

Both brothers make for special players for the Falcons. Avieon Terrell was Atlanta’s first pick in the 2026 draft, which means the team arrived at the decision carefully. While he wasn’t able to win a National Championship in college like AJ, both brothers entered the league as first-team All-ACC honorees. Avieon comes to Atlanta with a haul of 125 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, three interceptions, eight forced fumbles, three recoveries, and 25 pass deflections.

Avieon will have to start from scratch here, playing under his brother’s shadow. AJ has performed extremely well since he was drafted, and finished second on the team last year in passes defended. He also earned himself a four-year contract extension, which means he will be playing with Avieon for quite some time. As he’s been helping Avieon his whole life, AJ will also take on the role of a mentor for him in the team.

Competitive dynamic between AJ and Avieon Terrell has brought them this far

Like everywhere else, Avieon will be known in part because of his connection with AJ. Everywhere that Avieon went, AJ’s mark was already there. But that didn’t stop the younger Terrell from developing into a great prospect. AJ described him as the “daredevil” among the two of them, the classic younger sibling who rarely fears a challenge. That spirit would have the two competing against each other, which eventually turned to AJ pushing Avieon to his bests.

“I would say he was competitive as a mentor,” Avieon told ESPN. “He’s been a mentor my whole life. So, somebody I can look up to, been looking up to since I’ve been knowing football, first since I was 5. And then the competitive part, we’re still competitive to this day. I want to do everything he does. We got that type of relationship.”

Because they were six years apart, their college careers at Clemson were almost parallel. For AJ, he will forever be remembered for his play where he ran back a 44-yard interception for a touchdown against Alabama during the National Championship game. While Avieon Terrell did not have such an iconic play like AJ, he still created a legacy of his own. Avieon now holds the record for most forced fumbles in a season and career at Clemson, and was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. AJ wanted Avieon to build his own identity in the league. And looking at the plans the younger one has for the future, AJ better be prepared.

Avieon Terrell said at the NFL Combine that he wants to outshine his brother’s stats at the event, so that he could “talk junk” to AJ. Avieon lived up to that claim, going for 17 reps at the bench press with 225 pounds. When AJ learnt of this, he tried to do the same, but could only do 10. Avieon might be gearing up to unleash some powerful plays when his time comes in the league. As they have been for so long, these brothers are going to cause some damage to offenses by being in lockstep with each other.