2024 NFL Draft grades: Detroit Lions widely praised for Terrion Arnold pick

The Detroit Lions were able to get the No. 1 cornerback on their draft board, filling a pretty significant need on their roster. Terrion Arnold comes in and immediately transforms a cornerback room that struggled for nearly all of the 2023 season.

On the surface, it looks like a home-run pick for the Lions, considering Arnold was a consensus top-12 talent in the 2024 NFL Draft class. That said, it did cost the Lions significant draft capital to move up from pick 29 to 24, leaving some wondering if Detroit needed to overpay with so many strong defensive players still on the board.

Let’s take a look at the national reaction to the Lions’ pick of Arnold, and the grades they handed out to Lions general manager Brad Holmes.

SB Nation (J.P. Acosta): A+

“This is my favorite pick of the entire first round. Arnold is the perfect fit in Detroit in that defense. He’s a feisty, aggressive corner who can play inside or outside and has the ball skills to immediately be an impact player. Despite trading for Carlton Davis, the Lions still needed help at corner and Arnold can be an instant boost there. This pick is phenomenal.”

Pro Football Network (Cam Mellor): A+

“Though he doesn’t have elite vertical speed, Arnold is an extremely fluid, hyperactive short-area mover who can suffocate WRs in press-man with his corrective athleticism and 32” arms. At the catch point, he’s a natural playmaker, and he’s the exact kind of support presence Dan Quinn [sic] and Aaron Glenn will crave.”

USA TODAY (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz): A

“Here are your flowers, Brad Holmes. One year after the Lions general manager was roundly criticized for going against the grain with his first-round selections, Holmes makes a pick that deserves instant applause. Arnold is hypercompetitive and seems like the kind of cornerback Dan Campbell would make in a lab.”

The Athletic (Nick Baumgardner): A

“Like the Eagles, the Lions landed outstanding value in the 20s — Arnold and Mitchell were pretty clearly the top two corners in this draft. For Detroit, this was also a perfect fit for the team’s established culture. Arnold is a confident corner who plays with swagger, loves to work, loves tough coaching and loves to win.”

The Ringer (Danny Kelly): A

“Lions GM Brad Holmes does it again. This is an excellent pick for Detroit, who grab my top-ranked corner (and no. 11 overall player) in Arnold here with the 24th pick. Arnold fell a bit, I would guess, because he ran a disappointing 4.50-second 40-yard dash at the combine. But he makes up for a lack of elite speed with high-end instincts and ball skills in coverage—and gives the Lions a plug-and-play starter for their cornerback-needy defense. It didn’t come cheap for Detroit, who surrendered their third-round pick (while getting back a seventh-rounder next year) to move up five spots. But I think Arnold is good enough to justify that cost.”

Yahoo Sports (Charles McDonald): A-

“Detroit trades up to get a quality prospect who was falling down the board at a position of need. Arnold has a chance to be the best cornerback on Detroit’s roster from Day 1 and gives the Lions a fortified presence in the secondary as the division adds Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy.”

PFF (staff): Very Good (just below ‘elite’)

“…an alpha presence in the secondary who plays with a fearless mentality. He led all SEC cornerbacks in interceptions and pass breakups in 2023. He also led the conference with a 90.6 PFF run-defense grade. Detroit has officially overhauled their cornerback room with the additions of Arnold, Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson.”

NFL.com (Chad Reuter): B+

“Considered a potential top-12 pick for much of the pre-draft process, he presented good value at No. 24, but we’ll see if trading a third-rounder to Dallas instead of waiting for Arnold’s former teammate, Kool-Aid McKinstry or Nate Wiggins later in the round would have made more sense.”

The 33rd Team (Ian Valentino): C

“The Detroit Lions desperately needed a stud at corner, and Terrion Arnold is a playmaker. However, some of his best play came in the slot where Brian Branch is. Arnold will have to improve his technique to blossom as a full-time outside corner.”