With a record-setting crowd in attendance Thursday evening in Detroit, the Lions selected Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the 24th overall pick. That was after completing a trade with the Cowboys to move up five spots.
After emerging from the draft room on stage to an estimated crowd of more 275,000 who showed up downtown, Arnold didn’t blink when it was time to introduce himself. He promptly grabbed the mic from an NFL Network reporter and said “Y’all got a star, man. Hey, I’m home, man, I’m home,” to cheers. “These fans are going to be crazy, man.” With the Lions coming off an appearance in the NFC championship game, Arnold was asked on-air about his goal with the franchise.
“I’m going to help them win a Super Bowl,” he said, prompting a huge roar from the crowd.
Arnold, 6-foot-0 and 189 pounds, is a former four-star and top-60 overall recruit from Florida who signed with Alabama’s 2021 recruiting class. He was also a standout basketball player at St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee who entertained ideas of playing two sports for the Crimson Tide. Although Arnold didn’t take the court during for Alabama, it worked out quite well on the football field.
Arnold arrived at Alabama as a safety in 2021 and didn’t play while taking a redshirt as a true freshman. He emerged as a starter the following season but it was a rough transition and he was benched, despite ultimately being named a Freshman All-American.
The early adversity didn’t deter Arnold, who rebounded to become one of the top cornerbacks in the nation. He posted career highs with 63 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss, and tied for first in the SEC with five interceptions and 17 passes defended, to go with a forced fumble. That led to first team All-American honors and he declared for the draft in January after the Crimson Tide lost to eventual national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Signing with Alabama meant playing for arguably the greatest coach in the history of college football. That would be Nick Saban, who climbed the college and NFL ranks, including a successful run as head coach at Michigan State, before going on to win seven national championships – one at LSU and six with the Crimson Tide. Saban retired in January after coaching four Heisman Trophy winners and with a healthy tree of former assistants who became some of the best head coaches in the business.
Brad Holmes, Detroit’s general manager, has an affinity for picking Alabama players early in recent drafts. Arnold is the third former player for the Crimson Tide the Lions selected in the first two rounds of the last three drafts. The Lions picked former Alabama receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12 overall in 2022 and followed with a pair of selections from the Crimson Tide the following draft. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs went to Detroit at No. 12 last year, followed by defensive back Brian Branch in the second round. All three have been notable contributors for the Lions.
After decades of futility, Detroit is one of the top teams in the league but needs help in the secondary. That’s where Arnold fits in as new blood looking to help the Lions take the next step.
