A.J. Terrell Drafted by Falcons: Atlanta's Updated Depth Chart After Round 1

The Atlanta Falcons have drafted former Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell at No. 16 overall Thursday.

Terrell will immediately impact the secondary based on Atlanta's updated depth chart:

Depth Chart

LDE: Allen Bailey, John Cominsky

DT: Grady Jarrett

DT: Tyeler Davison, Deadrin Senat

RDE: Takkarist McKinley, Austin Larkin

OLB: Foyesade Oluokun, LaRoy Reynolds

MLB: Deion Jones, Ahmad Thomas

OLB: Dante Fowler, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner

CB: A.J. Terrell, Jordan Miller, Blidi-Wreh Wilson

CB: Isaiah Oliver, Kendall Sheffield

FS: Ricardo Allen, Sharrod Neasman

SS: Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

The Falcons released veteran starting cornerback Desmond Trufant, and he signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency. The 29-year-old led Atlanta with four interceptions last season.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler reported on April 17 that teams with picks in the top 16 were keeping tabs on Terrell:

On his final big board, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Terrell as the 36th-best overall prospect and fifth-best cornerback in this class.

Terrell struggled in coverage against LSU's Ja'Marr Chase during January's College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which Clemson lost 42-25, but the 6'1", 195-pounder was mostly dominant over the course of his collegiate career:

Terrell was named first-team All-ACC after recording two interceptions, 0.5 sacks and 34 tackles across 14 games as a junior in 2019. His most impressive statistical campaign came as a sophomore in 2018 with career highs in picks (three), forced fumbles (two) and tackles (53, including 40 solo).

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein likened Terrell's potential to New York Jets cornerback Pierre Desir:

"Long, press-man cornerback with thin lowers, but good overall size. Terrell has the foot agility and patience to pedal and mirror the release or jab and ride on it aggressively. He's an above-average athlete with quick burst to close out space in tight quarters, but he's not a classic click-and-close talent from off-man and issues with balance prevent sudden stops to shadow at the top of the route. The size and ability to hound 50/50 balls deserve recognition, but he lacks ballhawking traits, which could cap him as an average future starter."

Terrell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds while also recording a 34.5-inch vertical jump and 129-inch broad jump.

The former 4-star prospect's skill set figures to improve the Falcons' 22nd-ranked passing defense that tied for 17th with 12 interceptions last season.