Tag: Terrion Arnold

Detroit Lions rookie corners credit their moms with helping them reach the NFL

Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., saw first day of action at rookie minicamp on Friday

ALLEN PARK — Terrion Arnold, the Detroit Lions first-round draft pick, says his competitive nature was something he learned from his mom.

“I used to fight, just wrestling with her, playing around. I‘ll never forget that one time my mom kicked my tooth out because we were going at it so hard,’’ Arnold said after the opening day of Lions rookie minicamp on Friday.

“If my mom was out here right now and she lined up across from me as a receiver I would jam her into the dirt. My mom knows that right now, I just mean it football wise that’s the way I think , the way I was brought up,’’ the cornerback explained.

When he donned his uniform — featuring the number 0 — for the first time Friday morning, he sent a photo to his mom and family.

“And they were like, ‘You finally made it, now it’s time to get to work.’ So that’s just the structure and the way I was brought up,’’ Arnold said. “I made a name for myself in college (at Alabama), now it’s time to go out here. Coming here, coming to win, win the Super Bowl that’s the goal.’’

His mom sent him a devotional Friday morning telling him: “Son, you’re here for a reason, for such a time as this, go out and make it count.’’

Arnold said he also got his smile from his mom and he was flashing it after practice, interrupting cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr.’s press conference with a few questions of his own. Rakestraw returned the favor. They seem like close buddies already and the vibe seemed genuine.

“Those two are going to compete. I’m sure Rakestraw thinks he’s better and Terrion thinks he’s better. So they’re going to compete, which is a great thing for us, we want competitiveness,’’ Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew said on Friday.  “We don’t want guys that bow down, we want guys to compete and think they’re going to win the spot. I think both of those guys feel like they’re starters but they’ve got their work cut out for them.’’

While they look forward to learning from and competing with veterans, it was all smiles on Friday.

“Coming in here, being the young guys, the dynamic is we’re going to be here for a long time,’’ Arnold said. “We’re going to grow together, we’re going to excel together, take our losses together, take them on the chest. I just thank the organization for drafting both of us, that’s my brother right here.’’

Both agreed it was a dream come true to officially be an NFL player by slipping on the practice uniform..

Rakestraw, a second-round pick who will wear No 15, also credited his mom for helping him get this far.

“My mom had me three days after being 16, we had a real strong bond. I’m here today all thanks to her 100 percent, not me,’’ said Rakestraw who played at Missouri.

Rookie minicamp will wrap up on Sunday, Mother’s Day. Arnold and Rakestraw’s moms won’t see their sons that day, but they will have much to celebrate.

Detroit Lions trade up, draft DT Mekhi Wingo from LSU in 6th round

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions traded up to draft DT Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round of Saturday’s draft. Detroit traded picks 205 and 249 to the Houston Texans to move up to 189.

Wingo, who is undersized at 6-foot and 284 pounds, calls himself a disruptor who likes a violent style of football. Sounds like a perfect fit for coach Dan Campbell.

“To make up for the lack of size I have to do the ordinary things extremely well,’’ Wingo said on a conference call on Saturday. “Like I have to have better eyes than a guy who is 6-5 and my hand placement has to be better. I’ve been undersized my whole life, it’s not just something that just happened.’’

In 2023, Wingo played in eight games with seven starts at LSU. He missed the end of the regular season with a lower-body injury, but returned for the team’s ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin. Many players heading to the NFL, skip the bowl game but it was important to Wingo and speaks to his character.

“Of course I could’ve just packed it up, declared and did this, but it really got to me watching my team lose a few games and me being on the sidelines,’’ Wingo said in a conference call on Saturday. “Once I had my surgery I just rehabbed my butt off and made the emphasis to get back on the field and be with my guys one last time.’’

A team captain, he finished the season with 25 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He started his collegiate career at Missouri and transferred to LSU for the 2022 season.

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein projected him as a fourth-round pick.

Zierlein’s analysis: “Wingo is a shade undersized, but his tape is fun to watch. He is compact and powerful, with the ability to separate and play off of lateral blocks quickly. He can be overcome by length or mass at times but is rarely dominated. He has first-step quickness and processing to beat blockers to erase their landmarks and is tremendously agile as a short-space tackler. Wingo has a hop-and-chop rush move typically seen from defensive ends and will be too athletic for some guards to handle as a pass rusher. Wingo could become an early backup as an even-front 3-technique but he has three down-potential and could eventually become a starter.”

He’s the Lions’ third defensive pick this draft. They selected cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw in the first two rounds. Wingo is the first defensive player out of LSU that the Lions have drafted since 1974. He and Rakestraw were teammates at Missouri for one season.

Detroit Lions’ Terrion Arnold ready to get to work to prove he’s worth Brad Holmes’ move up to draft him

ALLEN PARK — It’s easy to see why cornerback Terrion Arnold is Dan Campbell’s kind of guy. The Detroit Lions’ first-round pick, a cornerback from Alabama, exudes confidence and commitment to winning.

Arnold met with the media at the Lions facility on Friday, after being selected on Thursday night with the 24th overall pick. He brought alone eight members of his family.

While he just turned 21 in March, Arnold seems mature beyond that. 

“I envision myself as coming in here humble and just open to learn. I don’t think I know everything. I don’t want to come in here and be that rookie who thinks he’s going to start, I know I’m going to have to work for everything,’’ Arnold said. “I want to learn from the best. Even in the locker room I was in there with some of the veterans they said they were grateful to have me here, they welcomed me with open arms. … I don’t want to come off as arrogant. I want to come off as confident but not arrogant, I want to show them I’m eager to learn, to develop.’’

Lions GM Brad Holmes moved up five spots to draft him.

“They traded up to select me, I’ll always be grateful for that and I won’t take it for granted. I’m already coming in here with a chip on my shoulder, it’s just going to be that much of a chip on my shoulder,’’ Arnold said. “I saw St. Brown today and I just asked him when can we get on the Jugg machine. I feel like I’m a workaholic, nothing is going to be given to me.’’

Arnold paid some attention to the Lions last year because he was teammates at Alabama with nickel Brian Branch (second-round 2023), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (first-round 2023)  and wide receiver Jameson Williams (first-round 2022).

“It shows that Coach (Aaron) Glenn, he allows players to go out there and play. In my meeting with him earlier he was like he’s going to develop me into being a better player,’’ Arnold said. “At the end of the day we’re young players, my ceiling is very high and just to show up every day with a willingness to work , putting in overtime, you’ll get success in this game they saw football reveals character.’’’

It’s not really a coincidence that Lions GM Brad Holmes has draft Alabama players in the first round of three straight drafts. Coach Nick Saban prepares his players for life beyond college.

“Just being around (Saban) I learned something new every day,’’ Arnold said. “Whether that was you’ve got to be able to take hard coaching, be able to take constructive criticism or you have to apply the right technique or it’s hot outside and you don’t really want to do it but you have to go out there and do it to the way he wants to execute it. I really learned how to become a professional before becoming a professional around coach Saban.’’

(Rounds 2-3 start at 7 p.m. on Friday. The draft wraps on Saturday with rounds 4-7 starting at noon.)