Get to know the Lions draft pick: Terrion Arnold is 'a big play creator'

The Detroit Lions made a splash in the first-round of the 2024 NFL draft when they selected Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold after he fell to them due to front half of the draft being so offense heavy. 

Arnold has been incredible during the draft process. At the NFL Combine he had the press in the palm of his hand and everyone listened to his every word. He is a character and someone that Lions fans will love. 

On the field he is a stud. Arnold finished third in the country in interceptions with five and fifth in the country in pass breakups with 13. He also allowed a passer rating of just 50.7 

Still, we wanted to know the deep stuff about Arnold from the guys that have been covering him at Alabama, so we reached out to our pal Brent Taylor from Roll 'Bama Roll to get the scoop. Here's what he had to say:

What are your overall thoughts on Arnold’s time at Alabama?

"Terrion was an absolute blast to have on the team the last few years. When he came in as a high school recruit, he was a highly regarded safety, wide receiver, and basketball player. He even practiced with Alabama's basketball squad for a while as a freshman before deciding to stick to football. He somewhat surprisingly made a transition to corner and got a starting job in 2022. With Kool-Aid MckInstry locking down one side, Arnold was immediately the target of choice for opposing QBs.

His athleticism and instincts were apparent and he made some really amazing plays, but he was far from perfect. The really cool thing to see was how much he grew and improved in 2023. He cut his completion percentage in half (again, despite getting a LOT of targets) and became a really powerful tackler and a vocal leader for Alabama.

His early versatility shows that he's the kind of athlete that's just good at everything, and the continuous and rapid improvement at playing cornerback for the first time in his career speaks to a really high potential."

What are his strengths?

"His burst and balance are elite - Arnold has superb body control and can recover from being out of position to closing the last couple of steps on a receiver in a blink, and he's got the balance and control to keep accelerating while keeping his eyes on the ball and getting his hand in to break things up. He's got good speed, but that short-area burst is what made him a first round draft pick.

A lesser-known part of his game is how good he is at blowing up wide receiver screens. Arnold will bulldoze his way through a receiver trying to block him on the perimeter to make the tackle - and he does it nearly every time a screen is thrown to his side."

What are his weaknesses?

"His footwork is hit and miss, especially against more nuanced route-runners. He can get himself crossed up a little when receivers make in-breaking routes against him and react a little late. A lot of times he makes up for it at the last second, but that's going to be harder to do at the NFL level. The hope (and projection) is that getting more experience smooths that out, as it's more of an issue with positioning and comfort in his role, rather than an actual athletic limitation.

He also gets quite grabby if someone gets a step on him and will draw pass interferences."

What are your thoughts on his personality?

"Terrion is a fan favorite. He was the best friend of Alabama's QB and was often the main guy for media interviews this season. He was always right at Nick Saban's side the last few years (and got more animated coaching from Saban than anyone else), plus it seemed like Saban's wife, Mrs. Terry, picked out Terrion as her favorite Alabama player of the last 17 years. He also regularly appeared on radio shows and is a hilarious story-teller."

Will he be a lockdown corner in the NFL?

"Lockdown? No. I don't think that's his game, necessarily. But a big play creator? Yeah, absolutely. He might occasionally get beaten on some crafty shorter routes and things like that, but he'll also be able to go toe-for-toe with the best jump ball receivers in the league, and he'll make some last second diving save to prevent a 3rd down conversion in a big moment."