Here's what Falcons first-round pick A.J. Terrell had to say after being selected on Thursday night:
ON HIS MEETING WITH THE FALCONS: "I facetimed with them one time. Just one time.
ON HOW IT WENT: "They were good. We just had a sit down talk. It was just about me. What their expectations are. Me as a player and me as a person, just trying to figure out who I am."
ON WHERE HE FITS IN THE FALCONS DEFENSE: "I fit anywhere they need me to. I fit perfectly. I feel like I'm going to come in an make an impact. Come in and make my presence felt. Come in ….I've already got a winning gene inside of me. Being able to put that to the coaches and join the Brotherhood and just make things what it was supposed to be. Make it great."
ON IF HE WANT TO PLAY FOR THE FALCONS WHILE GROWING UP: "Yes sir, I always thought about playing for the Falcons. That (came) across my mind a lot. Now, with dreams coming into reality, its time to put in work now."
» MORE: What Dimitroff, Quinn said about drafting Terrell
ON IF HE THOUGHT HE WAS A FIRST ROUND PICK: "I always knew that. Just coming in. Just staying humble. Trust in myself and believe in myself in the whole process. Handling things the right way. Being myself and not trying to be different. Of course it worked in my favor and just being a hard worker is the main thing. Being a great teammate, person and great leader."
ON WHAT HE LEARN FROM CLEMSON AND PLAYING UNDER BRENT VENABLES: "You have to pay attention to details and you have to be able to be consistent. You have to be consistent and be a leader. That's basically what it is. Just pay attention to details and watch film. You have to always be ahead of the opponent."
ON IF HE THOUGHT THE FALCONS WOULD PICK HIM: "I had a good feeling, knowing that I had a good talk with coach Dan Quinn. Everybody on our virtual call, I had a good talk with them. I know it's a need for the organization and I'm here for it. I did have a good feeling for it."
ON BEING COUNTED ON TO START RIGHT AWAY: "Have the right mindset. Thrown into the fire, I don't look at it that way. Just come in ready to compete and don't make it bigger than what it is. This is what I've been doing for years. Just coming in and competing and making an impact. Just gaining trust and being a leader on the defense."
ON FACING BRADY AND BREES: "Those are two great quarterbacks. They are going to get my best when I'm out there on the field. I just have to earn my respect."
ON CARRYING ON THE WESTLAKE HIGH TRADITION IN THE NFL: "It means a lot definitely for my high school, me and my family. It means a lot. It's a surreal moment. It's an honor. I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'm ready to get to work."
ON WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE TO GO AGAINST JULIO JONES AND MATT RYAN IN PRACTICE: "It's going to be great. I'm definitely looking forward to the opportunity. I'm going to be ready for it. I just going to come in and compete. I know they are going to give me theirs. So, just come in and compete and not be satisfied. Like I said, gain my respect. Be a great teammates and just go win. Win games."
ON PLAYING BIG-TIME COLLEGE BALL AT CLEMSON: "It means a lot. I was going against top receivers and just competing. At the end of the day, competition is what it all comes down to…just winning each rep. That's the mindset and having a short-term memory."
ON HIS INSTAGRAM PROFILE – Stack or star: "For me this just a saying for me to continue to stay down and keep grinding. Just never feel satisfied. It's always ways to make things good for myself and not feel satisfied because I feel like when you feel satisfied, you become complacent and you just start relaxing."
ON HIS PLAY AGAINST LSU IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: "It was just competition. It was a great game. I didn't have most of the plays going my way. It just showed how you have to have a short-term memory, come back and compete and never feel satisfied with your success. Just keep on competing and not just laying down for nobody. For me, it's just competing non-stop and having a short-term memory."
ON HIS PHYSICAL PLAY AND GRABBING TOO MUCH: "I'm always coachable. Whatever I need to fix, it will definitely get fixed. Just coming in to work everyday those little things can get touched up easy. For me being aggressive is a key to my game. I'm not going to stop it. It just making it beneficial and just getting the little things down for me to be aggressive."
MORE ON THE POOR SHOWING IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: "I always carry a chip on my shoulder, but that one game definitely gave me a chip on my shoulder. I was ready to get back to work and get ready for another game. Just ready for the next game. For me, that game was definitely a learning experience about never being satisfied."
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