Terrion Arnold: Unpolished Greatness

Alabama cornerback (CB) Terrion Arnold is a name that has come up a lot lately as a possible first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Pro Football Network, Walter Football, and Bleacher Report have all put a first-round grade on him. This caused me to turn on the film, starting with his games in 2022.

There’s no question Arnold has the raw physical tools. He showed straight-line speed, athleticism, and even burst.

It’s the rest of the stuff that concerns me.

Receivers caught just about everything that was thrown in his direction. The Tennessee game was a disaster. The other games weren’t much better.

The two things I like most about Arnold are his aggression and physicality, but he looked raw in this film study.

Way too raw.

Lacks technique

Arnold looks like a great athlete who doesn’t understand the position of cornerback. He looked new to it. This Alabama corner was out there chasing receivers most of the time. The receivers had their way with him.

The main problem was he allowed too large of cushions and throwing windows in coverage. He wasn’t remotely in a position to make a play on the ball on most of these throws in his direction. All Arnold could do was secure the tackle after the fact.

He got out of control (and out of position) way too often.

Arnold also fell three times while in coverage. He looked sloppy for the most part. Granted, he looked the part on pure straight-line routes and he was able to get under a couple of routes that really flattened out thanks to his raw ability.

One time he didn’t even look back for the ball.

Physical in support

This is one of the things I love about Arnold – – he’s extremely physical and he’s a great tackler. Arnold is not remotely afraid to stick his nose in there and make stops.

He’ll fly in on running plays too and get it done. He’s also more than willing to tackle on screens.

Arnold is one of the most physical corners I’ve seen. This Alabama defender seems to thrive on physical contact.

Development will be the key

It will be interesting to circle back and watch his 2023 game film to see if he has developed and if so, in what ways.

The biggest thing is he’s going to need to go from being reactive to dictating to receivers. He’s also going to need to be a lot more in control of his coverages.

As we can see on this rare win, the potential is there, it just needs to be shown consistently.

#3 Terrion Arnold 6-foot-0, 196 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Fall 2023 Grade: Third-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 8.0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of November 12, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Game film reviewed (2022): Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, and Ole Miss (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2022 stats: 45 tackles (34 solo), 8 passes defended and 1 interception

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Lean muscular and athletic corner with good straight-line speed and the ability to change direction. Often lined up in press-man coverage. Tends to lose route leverage when physical contact occurs. Bend, but don’t break type. Inconsistent matching routes at breakpoints. Chases receivers around too much. Best on pure straight-line routes. Good at providing support in pass and running plays.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season

1. Does he match routes?

2. Making plays on the ball in coverage?

3. Dictating coverages?

4. Maintaining route leverage?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, contributes at Yardbarker, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.