The Detroit Lions were linked to several potential cornerbacks in the first round of various NFL mock drafts this summer. However, while speaking with reporters after the first round on April 25, Lions general manager Brad Holmes stated that his team did not expect to draft a cornerback in the first round.
That is, until he witnessed Alabama’s Terrion Arnold slip to the draft board.
The 2024 NFL draft kicked off with a record 14 offensive players. The first cornerback was picked at No. 22 overall, after defensive players began to fall off the board.
So Holmes pounced, moving up from 29th to 24th overall to acquire Arnold.
While speaking with reporters, the Lions general manager attempted to explain the move.
“Never thought he would be there, but we couldn’t be more thrilled,” Holmes said.
Prior to the draft, ESPN, Pro Football Focus, and Bleacher Report all listed Arnold as a top-15 prospect in the 2024 draft class.
On April 22, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah rated Arnold as the No. 9 overall talent on his big board.
GM Brad Holmes says Terrion Arnold was Lions’ top-rated cornerback.
Jeremiah ranked Arnold as a top 10 talent and the best cornerback in the 2024 draft class. Holmes and the Lions agreed with the assessment.
“He was our best,” Holmes told the media. “He was our highest-rated corner.”
In the third round, the Lions traded the No. 73 overall pick for Arnold, moving him up five positions. That selection, along with their original first-round pick, was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for No. 24 overall and a 2025 seventh-round pick.
The move will leave the Lions with only one Day 2 option. Detroit also lacks a fourth-round pick, so the Lions will make more than 100 picks on Days 2 and 3 without adding a player.
But it’s difficult to argue with Detroit’s choice to trade a third-round pick for possibly the greatest cornerback prospect in the 2024 class.
“Overall, I struggled to find much to criticize in Arnold’s play, despite his lack of experience at the position, having arrived at Alabama as a highly regarded safety prospect,” he wrote. “He has all the tools and traits to be a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback.”
Lions Find Top CB Prospect and Fill Biggest Need With Terrion Arnold.
Good draft picks will typically satisfy one of two criteria. They will either address a need or add value to the team dependent on their draft position.
Both of these criteria will be met by excellent choices.
Despite the need to move up for Arnold, the Alabama cornerback met both of Detroit’s requirements.
“It does not always match up that way. I know you’ve heard me say it a million times: ‘We don’t care what position it is. “We’re simply going to get the best football player,” Holmes told reporters. “But it occurred to coincide with the best football player and an area [of need].
“We hoped to add one (a cornerback) at some time. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to add one during the first round. To be honest, we didn’t anticipate being able to add one in the first round. We just assumed we’d be out of the picture for a lot of those folks, especially him.”
In 2023, the Lions’ secondary finished 27th in passing yards allowed and tied for 29th in net yards yielded per pass attempt. Arnold will join them. Prior to the draft, Detroit’s most pressing statistical need was undoubtedly pass defence.
Arnold played 14 games in 2023, recording 12 pass defences and 5 interceptions. He also had eight pass defences and one interception at Alabama in 2022.
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