Detroit Lions Have Not Solved Cornerback Mystery Since Darius Slay

The Detroit Lions have not been able to find success drafting and developing cornerbacks since the departure of Darius Slay back in 2019.

Former general manager Bob Quinn made the decision to ship the former second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles after disagreements with Matt Patricia.

Since then, the team has targeted six defensive backs without much success.

Jeff Okudah is now considered among the worst draft selections in Lions' history, given the team possessed the third pick in the draft in 2020. He is now a free agent, after a short stint in 2025 with the Minnesota Vikings.

After general manager Bob Quinn was dismissed and Brad Holmes was hired, the situation did not improve much.

Ifeatu Melifonwu struggled with various injuries his entire tenure in Detroit and was also playing at safety in Aaron Glenn's scheme.

When the team made the decision to finally address the position by using higher draft picks, the two players targeted were not able to contribute much early in their careers.

Back in 2024, Holmes expressed, when discussing allocating resources to perceived areas of weakness, “Say you draft only those positions, but they're not contributing to your football team. So, did you win the draft? Did you win the draft because you drafted those positions, but they're not contributing to your football team? Or do you draft the best football players that are contributing to your football team and making you a better football team? So we're trying to address football players that contribute and make us a better football team.”

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Terrion Arnold was a player the Lions organization felt was worthy of trading up in the first-round to go up and select.

Unfortunately, his tenure in Motown lasted less than three years.

Ennnis Rakestraw and Keith Abney still have time to salvage Holmes' subpar cornerback selections. The former second-round pick has also dealt with injuries in his first two years, but is expected to compete for playing time in 2026.

Abney is considered a value selection in the fifth-round, given his success playing at Arizona State.

The struggles finding reliable cornerbacks, whether in the draft or in free agency, have contributed to Detroit's defense not meeting their goals the past couple of seasons.

As a result, valuable free agent dollars, which have been mostly used on short-term, prove-it type contracts, have been used at cornerback.

Holmes previously signed Cam Sutton and D.J. Reed and traded for Carlton Davis.

Cornerbacks drafted since Darius Slay departed

Jeff Okudah (2020, pick No. 3, first-round)
Ifeatu Melifonwu (2021, pick No. 101, third-round)
Chase Lucas (2022, pick No. 237, seventh-round)
Terrion Arnold (2024, pick No. 24, first-round)
Ennis Rakestraw (2024, pick No. 61, second-round)
Keith Abney (2026, pick No. 157, fifth-round)

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