The Indianapolis Colts address one of their biggest needs in the first round of Bruce Feldman’s mock draft, selecting cornerback Terrion Arnold from Alabama.
Arnold is PFF’s 15th ranked prospect overall and the fourth highest rated cornerback in what is a very deep class. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com has Arnold as his ninth ranked prospect and the top corner in this class.
Here is what Feldman had to say about the Colts’ selection:
“Arnold emerged as a star this year and was the corner rival coaches feared most on the Tide — not Kool-Aid McKinstry, who garnered more hype. McKinstry is a very good and savvy corner, but Arnold really blossomed in 2023, with five interceptions and 17 pass breakups. Arnold (6 feet, 190 pounds) is the more athletic of the two Tide corners, but he didn’t display the same kind of wheels that (Quinyon) Mitchell did at the combine, running a 4.50 40. He did jump 37 inches and went 10-9 in the broad jump. Then, at his pro day, he ran an impressive 6.65 in the 3-cone.”
Arnold has spent the bulk of his snaps lined up on the boundary but does have some experience inside. This past season he would allow a completion rate of just 52 percent and fewer than 11 yards per catch.
Arnold was a ball-hawk, coming away with five interceptions and 13 pass breakups. He’s also been a fairly sound tackler and had PFF’s second-highest run defense grade among cornerbacks in 2023.
As part of Feldman’s mock draft, he spoke with coaches about each prospect. Some of the intel that Feldman received on Arnold included one coach saying “he’s good at everything.” Another would call Arnold a “dawg” and add that he’s a “three position player–corner, nickel, and safety.”
Cornerback is arguably priority No. 1 for the Colts in the upcoming draft. Recently, GM Chris Ballard would say that he likes the young group of boundary corners already on the roster, made up of Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones, and JuJu Brents. However, this very much an upgradeable position.
Stephen Holder of ESPN would recently note in an article that during the Colts’ final four games, their secondary as a whole allowed a completion rate of 68 percent, the third-highest mark during that span. Explosive pass plays were also an issue for the Colts’ secondary for much of the year as well.
The good news is that this is a very deep cornerback class, receiving one of the highest overall position group grades from PFF.