Terrion Arnold: Breaking down what the Lions are getting with their first-round cornerback with film study from Russell Brown
It was shocking to see Terrion Arnold become available at the 24th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. It was expected that teams such as the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars would be “all-in” on Arnold but instead they all passed. This opened the door for Lions General Manager Brad Holmes to make a phone call and get aggressive.
He did just that.
When the 24th overall pick showed the Cowboys logo, the hundreds of thousands Detroit fans in attendance were booing. Suddenly, the Lions logo flashed, and the crowd got loud and went nuts. Once NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walked across the stage and announced Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold as the Lions pick, the crowd got louder and erupted with approval of the selection.
Arnold walked across the stage, held up the Lions jersey and announced to the crowd that “they got a star” and that “he was home.” Since then, we’ve seen clips of Arnold talking with family about getting and wanting a gold jacket. Meaning he wants to make a name for himself and make it to the Hall of Fame.
Everything about Terrion Arnold feels different. It’s not like most players that get drafted and are just “thankful for the opportunity” or “just can’t wait to get started.” Arnold wants to be great and it shines through his smile and everything he says.
Now we’ll see what he does when he steps onto the field in Detroit. For now, we can review his tape at Alabama this past season. So let’s do that and see what the Lions are getting with cornerback Terrion Arnold!
The first play I want to highlight is from the SEC Championship game between Alabama and Georgia. On the bottom of the screen, you’ll see Alabama CB Terrion Arnold (3) matched up against Georgia WR Ladd McConkey (84).
Aligned in press-man, Arnold is faced with the tough task of covering McConkey at the line of scrimmage. The reason that task is so tough is due to the release packages that McConkey has at his disposal. Labeled as one of the better and more fluid route runners in the 2024 NFL Draft, Arnold had to be at his best when matched up against him.
The play above shows just that as Arnold uses his hands to work against McConkey. Meanwhile, as the route breaks inside, Arnold flashes patience, quick feet and good fluidity to change direction and stay in the hip pocket of the receiver. As the pass is delivered, you can see Arnold draped over the shoulder of McConkey and it helps him stay in position to breakup the pass.
Moving onto the Rose Bowl matchup between Alabama and Michigan, Arnold is aligned in the slot. Matched up against the tight end, he looks more than comfortable for any route that threatens the defense vertically. Meanwhile, he reads the shoulders of the tight end right away.
Once the tight end fully turns, Arnold knows that a quicker route is being run, and he quickly closes the gap between himself and the tight end. Seeing the ball in the air, Arnold gets in position to play through the hands of the tight end to break up the pass.
Lastly, I want to highlight one of Arnold’s five interceptions in 2023. In the play above, the Kentucky offense uses a trip left formation. Arnold is highlighted, and prior to the snap, he communicates with the rest of the defense. There’s even an instance where two defenders are staring at Arnold as he communicates.
Aligned in off-man, you’ll notice the fluidity from Arnold. His tape is filled with plays just like this, where he’s able to flip his hips and stay in position due to quick feet and good pad level. As the receiver breaks towards the sideline, you’ll notice how Arnold is in great positioning to stay on top of the route.
Reading the eyes of the quarterback from the far hash, he knows he can jump this route and he does just that and it leads to the interception. These types of ball skills and instincts were missing from the Lions secondary last season and Arnold should be able to develop into a playmaker in Detroit.
Overall, there’s so much to love when watching Terrion Arnold play football. Depending on who you talk with, he was potentially the best defensive player in the 2024 NFL Draft. If he weren’t, he would have been a close second. Most cornerbacks that have his talent end up being selected somewhere in the top 20, but fortunately, the offensive talent in the draft pushed him right into reaching distance for Brad Holmes and the Lions to strike.
For Arnold, he’s a good athlete and it shows. He’s a former high school basketball player and he also ran track. In basketball, he averaged 8.8 PPG and 4 RPG while having a PR of 23.92 seconds in the 200-meter dash for track and field.
In football, Arnold excels in man coverage with his press-man skills. He plays physical and loves contact and competition from the opposition. His aggressiveness will get him trouble as it appears to cause his technique to get wild or it’ll take him out of position. But his fluidity, effort and ability to press and lockdown receivers is encouraging for his development in the NFL.
There’s potential for him to be a starter from day one but fortunately, the Lions have enough veteran depth that he can ease his way into a starting role for Detroit. With how talented and competitive Arnold is, it wouldn’t be surprising if he started right away for Detroit. It’s easy to see why he’s the perfect fit for the Lions defense.
