Although there were larger raptors, velociraptor was about the size of a turkey--which is indeed one of its closest modern relatives. It got super-sized for Jurassic Park. And I know dinosaur in the general public's eyes conjures up T-Rex and Brontosaurus. But scientists were well aware that the majority of dinosaurs were a lot smaller.
But I don't disagree in general that there were a lot of factors that set the orthodoxy in place. Including that there were large (and flying) reptiles.
And I think they haven’t used the largest known dromaeosaurid, the Utahraptor, in any Jurassic Park/World movie, have they? A 7 meter long “velociraptor” sounds terryfing, but I guess at that point they rather go with the larger theropods.
Honestly if you've ever been in the middle of a group of wild Tom turkeys in the spring, I don't think that's any less scary.
Turkeys are dumb as hell. So they're not really a threat. But they're super aggressive (or can be) and if they had teeth and larger claws and especially if they were pack hunters, it wouldn't be great
But I don't disagree in general that there were a lot of factors that set the orthodoxy in place. Including that there were large (and flying) reptiles.