ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions traded up five spots to take cornerback Terrion Arnold (Alabama) on Thursday night with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft in Detroit.
Arnold, an All-American in 2023, was the second cornerback selected. Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) went to the Eagles with the 22nd pick.
Cornerback was seen as an area of need for the Lions, the defending NFC North champs. So it made sense to make the move.
“It doesn’t always match up that way. I know you guys have heard me say a million times we don’t care what the position is, we just want to get the best football player,’’ Lions GM Brad Holmes said. “It happened to match up with the best football player and it was an area where we wanted to add one at some point. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to add one in the first round.’’
Holmes said he started making phone calls in the late teens to move up. He said he knew the draft would be offensive-heavy early, but couldn’t be more ecstatic how it went.
“I never thought that he’d be there, but I couldn’t be more thrilled,’’ Holmes said, mentioning Arnold’s good workout at his pro day at Alabama.
He says Arnold has a “challenge mentality” and “right mindset” which will fit the Lions perfectly.
“It’s the more than the skillset for us,’’ said Holmes who examines how a player is wired.
In the trade, Detroit acquired the 24th-overall and a seventh-round 2025 pick, while Dallas received the 29th overall pick and a third-round pick (73rd overall).
“We feel really good about his floor, but we feel even better about his ceiling,’’ Holmes said.
Arnold was one of the prospects on stage for the draft in front of 275,000 fans, many of them Lions fans.
“I grabbed the mic and said I was home and I meant it,” Arnold said. “You have the best fan base in the NFL.”
Arnold, who turned 21 in March, made a pre-draft visit to the Lions.
“One thing that he showed is how smart he was, competitive, just smart and understanding football were some of the things that stood out right away. His understanding of the scheme, the things he did at Alabama and how he had position flexibility. You saw that when you talked to him and saw his personality, ‘’ Deshea Townsend, Lions passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach, said after the selection.
“He’s a corner, you have to be borderline cocky but you have to be humble at the same time and he is a kid that has confidence, but having that confidence he understands that he has to work. That’s one thing I felt when I talked to him,’’ Townsend added.
Arnold, who is 6-foot and 196 pounds, had a breakout season in 2023 with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
“That’s one of the most important things that I look at when we’re watching a corner is can he track and locate,’’ Townsend said. “That’s one thing you want to have the ability to do is find the ball and go create turnovers.’’
Arnold will join three other former Crimson Tide players who have been a good fit in Detroit — DB Brian Branch, WR Jameson Williams and RB Jahmyr Gibbs.
Arnold said it means everything to play with those three. “Those are my brothers,” Arnold said.
“I have so much respect for Nick (Saban) and everything he’s done for that program,’’ Holmes said.
Arnold joins Lions cornerbacks Carlton Davis III, Amik Robertson, Emmanuel Moseley, Steven Gilmore, Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and Craig James.
The first 14 draft picks were all from the offensive side of the ball. Six of the top dozen chosen were quarterbacks. The Colts chose the first defensive player – EDGE rusher Laiatu Latu – with the 15th overall selection.
The Lions have one second-round pick on Friday at 61st overall. Rounds 2-3 start at 7 p.m. on Friday. The draft wraps on Saturday with rounds 4-7 starting at noon.
Another thing or two …
— Detroit set an attendance record with 275,000 fans in Detroit for the first day of the NFL Draft. The announcement was made by commissioner Roger Goodell. In comparison, the 3-day draft in Kansas City (home of the defending Super Bowl champs) drew 312,000 last year.
— Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, along with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, Jared Goff and fan Eminiem, opened the draft on the stage at Campus Martius with Goodell. St. Brown led the first Ja-Red Goff chants. It’s the first NFL draft held in Detroit.
Lions Lowdown 