Confident doesn't begin to describe Terrion Arnold. He'll tell you so himself: "I play corner! And I'm a rookie!!" Asked what he'd be doing if he wasn't in the NFL, Arnold couldn't believe that it was even a question: "I'd be in the NBA!" He's already eyeing a spot in the Celebrity All-Star Game in February, where he intends to "go out there and drop 40." That comes the weekend after you-know-what.
10 games through his first season with the Lions, Arnold says his best is yet to come: "Every game I go out there, I see a little bit more that I need to see and that I need to unlock, so by the time comes that it matters the most and it's time to make the big, big run, I'ma be ready."
Arnold has so much to say that veteran corner Carlton Davis III often rolls his eyes at the locker next to him. But the 21-year-old isn't blowing smoke. On the topic of basketball, Arnold will have you know that he started playing varsity in high school when he was in seventh grade. Two years later, he went to Florida State's team camp and head coach Leonard Hamilton was ready to offer him on the spot -- so long as Arnold promised to focus strictly on basketball. "And I was like, man, I like football, too," Arnold said.
Arnold said he wound up landing several big-time basketball offers, including one from Kansas. Even after committing to Alabama for football, an assistant basketball coach at Alabama came to see Arnold play and tried to flip his scholarship to the hard court. "And then Coach Saban found out about it," Arnold said. "That’s when he was like, 'Nah, you need to focus on this.'" He's been a football player ever since.
Arnold turned 21 in March, a month before the Lions made him the star of the first NFL Draft in Detroit. He shined that night in a shimmery pink suit, and the lights have yet to dim. Every week, Arnold does a solo act in Detroit's defense across from Davis, matching up one-on-one with some of the best receivers in the game. Davis has played the second most snaps in man coverage in the NFL this year. Only Arnold has played more.
"I'm proud of you," Davis told Arnold the other day.
"I think the one thing that separates me from most rookies is I literally go out there and play man-to-man coverage every game, on wide receiver 1's," said Arnold. "We’re not sitting back there playing zone, cover-4, cover-3. When we line up, we in press-man. And you know we in press-man, so when it comes time to games, it’s like, 'OK, you versus me.'"
"Man, that's not easy as a rookie," Davis told Arnold. "Like, dude, that's crazy."
Arnold has quietly held his own. It wasn't pretty out of the gate, especially in regard to penalties. But Arnold, Davis and slot corner Amik Robertson are a big reason why Detroit's defense has allowed the fifth fewest points in the NFL (17.7 per game) despite several key losses in the front seven. In man coverage, Arnold has allowed a completion percentage of 51.4 and a passer rating of 80.5, per Pro Football Focus. Arnold, Davis and Robertson have played a higher percentage of man-coverage snaps than any other trio in the NFL.
"I love it," said Arnold. "I mean, this defense is gonna get me paid, for real. When you cut on the tape, you’re like, 'OK, he’s a rookie, he’s backside, the safety’s in the run fit, he’s by himself.' Nobody else is doing that."
The numbers are much less flattering for Arnold in zone coverage -- 82.6 completion percentage, 134.2 passer rating -- but that should improve as he gains a better command of his responsibilities in the scheme. Ultimately, the Lions brought him here to play man, and that's what he's doing best. Suffice to say, Arnold is pleased with his trajectory 10 games into his career:
"Yeah! I’m 21 years old! Every time I look on the tape, I'm like, ‘Bro, alright, this dude's 30, this dude's 27 -- I’m 21.' I'm like, 'Dang, he got three kids. I got a little sister.' That’s the difference."
Asked what he's proudest of so far, Arnold said, "Limiting explosive plays."
"I feel like my biggest attribute is, I’m always there," he said. "If a play is made, then it’s like, dang, he missed it by a little. You’re not gonna look on the tape, like ‘Golly, where was Terrion?’"
Arnold has played much cleaner football over the last couple months. After committing eight penalties in his first four games, he's been flagged twice in six games since. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn encourages his corners to play aggressively in coverage, but there's obviously a balance. Glenn said Thursday that the Lions have been coaching Arnold in practice "to not grab and hold. ... He's gotten a lot better with his technique and it shows up on the field.”
"Just playing the ball," said Arnold. "But then on top of that, some of them were questionable calls. And even talking to refs, now (I'm) starting to gain my NFL clout."
Davis predicted this would happen after Arnold was flagged twice in coverage in his NFL debut. He said the same thing happened to him as a rookie: It often takes time for officials to understand the play style of physical corners. Before a recent game, Arnold said a ref approached him to say, "Hey, we watched the tape on you, you were very sticky in coverage. We see it, we broke it down. At the top of the route, just make sure you’re looking back for the ball."
"I’m nice, I’ll be like, ‘Ref, let’s have a good day today!'" Arnold laughed. "Say something like that. There’s actually a couple of them that came from the SEC, so I had a couple of them (say), ‘I’ve enjoyed watching you, I enjoy watching you on tape.’"
Arnold's response? "Alright, bet. Just make sure you don’t throw nothin' today!"
Arnold is still searching for his first NFL pick. He knows it's only a matter of time. He's growing more comfortable in the Lions' scheme and more familiar with certain route concepts each week, and more willing to "pull the trigger." He felt like he was in good position a couple times last Sunday, only for Jags quarterback Mac Jones to go elsewhere with the ball at the last second. For Arnold, that's fine. It means he's doing his job in coverage.
"When my picks come, they're gonna come in bunches," he said. "So I don't really worry about it. I just worry about being in the right position, being in the run fit. Even if the quarterback looks my way, he’s scared to pull it, he pulls back off, and then it forces a sack, I’m fine with that. I know at the end of the day, when I come in here, what my job is.
"And I ain’t ever been one to seek validation from others. Some people glorify stuff like that, they’re like, 'If people ain’t giving me my praise, then I ain’t doing it right.’ I know what I’m doing. I know when I’m on the backside, by myself, it’s locked up."
The Lions were eaten alive by top receivers last season, especially late in the year. When Arnold and Davis arrived this spring, the rookie declared, "We’re reshaping the cornerback position in Detroit. I feel like that’s something that people considered a weakness and now it’s a strength." Through 10 games, the Lions have allowed the lowest passer rating (73.6) in the NFL and the fewest passing touchdowns (7). While the corners have held strong in man coverage, safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch have roamed the field and made plays.
"I feel like we're the best secondary in the NFL," Arnold said. "We’ve been proving it. All you gotta do is cut on the tape from last year and cut on the tape this year. On top of that, it's just our mentality. We done bought in. AG's always been this type of coach (to play man coverage), he's always wanted to do this. Now he’s just got the guys (to do it)."
The first-place Lions have seven games remaining, 10 including the playoffs if all goes according to plan. Asked what he'd consider his best game to date, Arnold didn't blink: "I don't think I've had it."