Lions' First-Round Pick Terrion Arnold Says Raiders Passed on Him Due to a 'Coin Toss'

Detroit Lions first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold, one of the top cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, said the Las Vegas Raiders took tight end Brock Bowers over Arnold because of a "coin toss."

Terrion Arnold, a cornerback from the University of Alabama, shows off his Detroit Lions jersey with / Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Las Vegas Raiders had several directions they could have gone with their first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, and ultimately, they went with tight end Brock Bowers, a move nearly nobody saw coming.

One of the positions Las Vegas could have addressed in the first round was cornerback, a room that consisted of plenty of talent in this year's draft class.

Terrion Arnold, perhaps the best cornerback in the class, was high on the Raiders' radar but fell to the Detroit Lions, who traded up to land the Alabama product.

During a virtual appearance on "The Next Round" on Tuesday, Arnold claimed the Raiders came quite close to drafting him.

"They [Detroit] knew that the Raiders -- it was a possibility they took me," Arnold said. "And actually, the Raiders' coach, they called me after the draft, and they were like, 'You know, we actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers. It landed on him.' I was like, 'Oh, wow.'"

Our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. had the following to say:

"I spoke to a Las Vegas Raiders source who told me, 'I am not sure who told that to Terrion; I am not questioning his integrity, I have no idea who told him that, but I can assure you there was no coin flip.  We thought Terrion was a great player, but the choice was clear: Brock Bowers would be our guy.'"

Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly also denied Arnold's statement in a press conference on Wednesday.

After the top-six quarterbacks were off the board by the time the Raiders were up to pick at No. 13, Las Vegas went with Bowers, the back-to-back John Mackey Award winner who was not only the best tight end in the class, but one of the best prospects in the entire NFL Draft.

The Lions, who originally had the the No. 29 overall pick, traded up to 24 with the Dallas Cowboys, where they would select Arnold, who was just the second defensive back taken in the first round. Fellow cornerback prospect Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles two picks before.

The Raiders are happy with Bowers, and Arnold is happy to have landed in Detroit.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.