- Terrion Arnold, CB, Lions
Arnold was probably the cleanest defensive prospect on film in the entire draft, he just didn't have a ridiculous combine workout. A decade ago, he may be considered small for the outside cornerback spot. Not today, with the way receivers — even perimeter ones — around the league are getting smaller and lighter.
At Alabama in 2023, Arnold did it all. Tackled like a seasoned veteran, floated to the football in zone, played air-tight man coverage, found the football in the air routinely, and was a dynamic returner once he snagged the interception.
And how about his "fit" in Detroit. This was a defense in dire need of a highly confident and also awesomely gifted cornerback. Now they have one. In the 2023 regular season, the Lions finished fourth in defensive pressure rate at 41.6%, and they added butt-kicking nose tackle D.J. Reader to the front along with Marcus Davenport. The Lions are going to disrupt the quarterback. Often.
Music to the ears of Arnold, who, alongside former teammate Brian Branch, is going to be a magnet to the football en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.
2 comments
My dream is he and Rakestraw battle it out for DROY as our D becomes a greater force than the Offense was last year.
I don’t know that he’ll get enough playing time for it. I expect both rookies as well as our free agent signings to all rotate quite a bit. One will have to really standout from the pack to really get featured enough. Plus don’t sleep on Moseley either.