The Detroit Lions made a transfer to deal with their secondary, grabbing Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the No. 24 choose within the NFL draft after a commerce with Dallas on Thursday night time.
The Lions moved up from the No. 29 spot. Detroit additionally obtained a 2025 seventh-round choose, whereas the Cowboys obtained Detroit’s first-rounder plus a third-round choose on this yr’s draft (73rd total).
Detroit had acquired that third-rounder from Minnesota in a earlier commerce.
Arnold was a first-team Related Press All-American final season. He tied for sixth within the Soccer Bowl Subdivision with 5 interceptions and tied for fifth with 17 passes defensed whereas beginning all 14 video games for the Crimson Tide.
The 6-foot, 189-pound Arnold was the second cornerback chosen Thursday. Philadelphia selected Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell two picks earlier.
Lions common supervisor Brad Holmes was considerably surprised that Arnold was obtainable. He was making calls to groups with picks within the “late teenagers” and eventually discovered a commerce associate within the Cowboys.
Arnold was Detroit’s highest-ranked cornerback.
“I am nonetheless type of, ‘By no means thought he’d be there,'” Holmes stated.
Arnold had one of many flashiest appears to be like of this yr’s draft, sporting an electrical salmon silk swimsuit with a silver bow tie.
“You have to trust, you have to be borderline cocky however you have to be humble on the similar time,” Lions passing sport coordinator/defensive again coach DeShea Townsend stated of what he appears to be like for in a cornerback. “He is a child that has confidence, however having that confidence he understands he has to work.”
The Lions’ go protection was one of many few weaknesses on a workforce that reached the NFC championship sport. Detroit allowed 7.8 yards per go try, second-worst within the league, and a league-worst 69 completions of 20 or extra yards.
Holmes stated it was an ideal mixture of expertise and want.
“It does not all the time match up that manner,” he stated. “I am certain you’ve got heard me say 1,000,000 instances I do not care what place it’s, we will get the perfect participant. It occurred to match the perfect participant and an space the place we wished so as to add one at a while. We did not know if we had been going to have the ability to add one within the first spherical.”
Arnold joins a mixture of newcomers and holdovers on the cornerback spot. Detroit traded for Tampa Bay’s Carlton Davis III in March and signed Amik Robertson as a free agent. Robertson spent the previous 4 seasons with Las Vegas.
The Lions even have Emmanuel Moseley and Kindle Vindor on the place. Detroit launched former starter Cameron Sutton after he was accused of home violence.
Detroit has drafted an Alabama participant within the first spherical three straight years. The Lions moved as much as choose huge receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12 in 2022 and selected operating again Jahmyr Gibbs on the similar spot final yr.
“These are my brothers,” Arnold stated. “There’s one thing particular occurring right here in Detroit.”
The Lions personal 5 extra picks heading into the second day of the draft, together with the twenty ninth choice within the second spherical (61st total).