It is often said that the cornerback position has the biggest learning curve when transitioning from college to the pros. That was more than evident when watching Detroit Lions first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold play against the Los Angeles Rams.
Arnold started at outside cornerback for Detroit and stuck to the right side of the defense for most of the game. The rookie, in his first career game, was asked to do something many veteran players can not do: cover former All-Pro receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
It was clear that Arnold has some adjusting to do with his game. His biggest issue was his usage of his hands downfield. While he might have gotten away with some physicality back in his days at Alabama, the refs weren’t so lenient with the young cornerback in this game. Arnold committed two defensive pass interference penalties against Los Angeles, both of which directly led to the Rams scoring soon afterwards.
Despite the penalties, there was a lot to like about Arnold’s NFL debut. The rookie produced eight tackles on defense and only allowed 57 of LA’s 317 receiving yards in coverage. The biggest point to note for Arnold is that he won’t be facing against offenses like the Rams’ every week. With time, we should expect to see some great things from Detroit’s first-round pick.
DJ Bien-Aime, ESPNSep 18, 2024, 07:48 PM ETCloseDJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets
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