The Atlanta Falcons entered the 2026 NFL Draft without a first-round pick, so all eyes were on their second-round selection at No. 48 overall. They opted for Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell—the younger brother of Atlanta's star corner A.J. Terrell. It's a feel-good, brotherly-love story, but not everyone is buying into the hype.

Over the past week, the pick has drawn scrutiny, with the latest critique coming from anonymous NFL executives who spoke with The Athletic about every NFC team's draft class. Their concerns? Size and athletic testing.

"Avieon Terrell is OK—he's just little, kind of skinny," one executive said. "He will struggle against bigger body, more physical receivers."

Another exec pointed to Terrell's poor combine numbers, noting, "The corner is a good player, but he had a hamstring (injury) and tested poorly."

The truth stings. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Terrell's feisty playing style may not be enough to overcome the physical mismatch he'll face against boundary receivers in the NFL. That likely forces him into a slot role—but even that comes with risks. Today's slot receivers are no longer just smaller, shiftier players; Terrell could find himself matched up against receivers or tight ends six inches taller and 40-50 pounds heavier. No amount of scrappy play can erase that size disadvantage.

To add to the concerns, Terrell posted a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of just 4.94, with poor marks for both size and speed. He's not the first undersized cornerback with underwhelming athletic numbers to carve out an NFL career—but he certainly has his work cut out for him. It's fair to wonder exactly what the Falcons are building here.