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Will Detroit Lions trade up for Alabama CB Terrion Arnold? 'That's classified'
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- Will Detroit Lions trade up for Alabama CB Terrion Arnold? 'That's classified'
Update: The Detroit Lions traded up five spots in Thursday's NFL draft and selected Terrion Arnold with the No. 24 overall pick . This story was originally published Wednesday evening.
When the Lions brought Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold in for a pre-draft visit, it was understood they likely would have to trade up if they wanted to take him in the first round of Thursday's 2024 NFL draft in downtown Detroit .
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Asked Wednesday what the Lions told him about their desire to do that, Arnold smiled and said, "That's classified information."
Arnold was one of 13 draft prospects who took part in a Play Football clinic Wednesday with Special Olympics Michigan athletes at the Corner Ballpark.
Most of the prospects attending this week's draft expect to go in the first 15 picks, including quarterbacks Caleb Williams , Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye .
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That likely is out of range for the Lions, who hold the 29th pick in Round 1, but the team did extensive work on this year's cornerback crop and could be interested in moving up in the draft if Arnold or Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell slides.
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Arnold said he had a "great" visit with the Lions and can see himself as part of the team's revamped secondary. The Lions traded for Carlton Davis and signed Amik Robertson in free agency, but still are in the market for help at cornerback and safety in the draft.
"When I was there, just as far as going over schemes, being around the coaching staff, they have a very great team developing," he said. "Obviously, they were just on the borderline of making it to the Super Bowl and they're trying to get back to that."
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A part-time starter at Alabama in 2022, Arnold led the Tide and tied for the SEC lead with five interceptions in his first season as a full-time starter last year. He said playing for head coach Nick Saban has him ready to make "an immediate impact" in the NFL.
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"I'm feeling great," he said. "I just want to stay calm and steady, even-keeled mindset, but I'm ready. Whatever organization selects me, I'm ready to get to work."
Trade down coming?
Lions coach Dan Campbell in an appearance Wednesday on WXYT-FM (97.1) reiterated the team's desire to trade down from Pick No. 29 if a player they covet is not available.
Head Coach Dan Campbell stands on stage during the Detroit Lions' new uniform reveal event inside Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
While that may elicit boos from Lions fans gathered at the draft in Campus Martius Park, Campbell said he'd tell them, "It's one sleep and then you get two picks."
"That's what I would have told the kids when they were young," he said. "You got one sleep. So look, anything can happen. We're prepared to do whatever we need to do. And look, if our guy's not there, we're sitting there and our guy's not there, we will move back. So I'm just preparing the fans. Be ready, you never know what's gong to happen here."
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Asked about the depth of the draft, Campbell indicated there is a group of about 15 players atop the Lions' ranking, then another group of potential starters.
"I know that you get one of these players in the top 15, you're going to get a heck of a player," he said. "There's a couple areas that are heavier than others, but we also know those will go pretty fast. This is an offensive draft. I mean, there's more offensive players than defensive players overall at the top of this, so it's just – it's interesting every year. You go through this process, you find these guys you really like. Man, they fit you, and then we're going to be sitting there and you're just going to watch them fly right off the board.
"When it's all said and done, you look and all the legwork you did and you realize it's like, 'Man, all these guys you thought you really liked, there's not as many as you thought after the other 31 teams pick through every draft.' So that's the nature of it and all we got to do is find the guys that we like when it comes time for us to pick."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Will Detroit Lions trade up for Terrion Arnold? 'That's classified'
