Lions Acquire No. 24 From Cowboys, Select CB Terrion Arnold

The hosts have moved up the first-round order. Detroit has acquired the No. 24 pick from the Cowboys, sending Dallas the 29th selection along with No. 73. The Lions will add a seventh-round pick next year. With the pick, the Lions have selected Alabama corner Terrion Arnold, becoming the second team to add a prospect at that position.

Arnold found his way out of Tallahassee as a consensus top-three safety out of John Paul II Catholic HS (Florida). Unlike Latham and McKinstry, Arnold did not see the field at all in 2021, redshirting his true freshman year. Still, he came in as a starter as a redshirt freshman the following season. Alabama didn’t try him at safety at all, immediately seeing his potential as a cornerback. He missed a few games in 2022, starting seven of 11 appearances, but would start every game in 2023.

In just two seasons as a starter, Arnold recorded six interceptions (five in 2023) and 20 passes defensed. While perhaps quarterbacks were tempted to force the ball in Arnold’s direction to avoid teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry, Arnold proved to be formidable in his own right. Arnold is slightly smaller than his counterpart but boasts tremendous footwork and hip mobility to blanket opposing receivers. The ball-hawking cornerback paired with McKinstry to serve as the nation’s top CB duo.

Now Arnold heads to Motown, where he slots in as an immediate potential starter as a rookie. Cameron Sutton‘s domestic violence arrest, which led to the veteran cornerback taking weeks to surrender to police, led to the Lions cutting a player they were paying $11MM per year. The team also did not retain Jerry Jacobs as an RFA. The Lions did, however, opt to add Carlton Davis to start across from Brian Branch, who impressed as a rookie in the slot, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ eighth-best cornerback in the NFL.

Detroit should provide Arnold the immediate opportunity to earn the starting job across from his former Alabama teammate. Expect Davis, Branch, and Arnold to see a lot of the field together in sub-packages. At 24th overall, the Lions somehow nabbed the second-best cornerback on the board, with some even viewing him as the top option.

Ely Allen contributed to the post.