The Falcons don’t draft cornerbacks in the first round all that often. A.J. Terrell becomes just the third corner Atlanta’s picked up in that round of the draft since 2000, with Desmond Trufant in 2013 and DeAngelo Hall in 2004 being the third. Without fail, those selections come with a huge storm of controversy, typically over whether Atlanta has made the right pick or not.
That criticism was a bit more muted with Hall—it was either him or Dunta Robinson, but Hall’s speed made him an attractive pick for the Falcons—but it was very much alive and well with Desmond Trufant.