Who Are the Seahawks Getting in Cornerback Terrion Arnold?

Based on the performance of Terrion Arnold through his two seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions, one might wonder why the Seahawks are interested in him. His performance, to this point, has been tremendously disappointing. And yet, the team sees something in him worth having. To figure out what that is, we need to go back to before Detroit.

A Crimson Tide Star

Arnold was a two-year starter at Alabama in 2022 and 2023, helping the Tide finish fifth in the country both years. 2022 was a solid start, with 45 tackles, a pick, and eight passes defended with a 73.1 PFF rating, but 2023 was a breakout. 68 tackles, five picks, 6.5 tackles for loss, twelve passes defensed, and a sterling 88.4 PFF score. A star at twenty years old.

Arnold was a superstar in college. — Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) shakes off Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Terrion Arnold (3) during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

He was so good, even lackluster measurables couldn’t stop him. He was under six feet tall and 190 pounds at the combine, and his arms were just barely over 31.5 inches long. He clocked in with a 40 time over 4.5 and a mediocre 1.53 10 yard split. Only his vertical jump (37”) and broad jump (10’9) stood out positively. Despite this, he was a clear first round pick.

The Skillset - Strengths

You don’t need to run fast in a straight line or be big to be a good cornerback. You just have to be good at cornerback. And Arnold clearly was coming out of Alabama. He’s an explosive mover, so despite being ‘slow’ he is able to move well in short areas. He’s heady, a cerebral player, who understands how to play in zone and hit the click-and-close on release.

There was a lot of good stuff Arnold brought to the table. — Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold (3) defends as Ole Miss wide receiver Malik Heath (8). | USA TODAY Sports

He’s also a highly-capable tackler and can work his way through traffic to get to the ball carrier, a very important skill in this defense. Five interceptions in 2023 speaks to his ball skills, and his lacking speed was not a significant deterrence to his ability to man up on receivers. Almost every major big board had him as a top twenty-five player in 2024 with these abilities.

The Skillset - Weaknesses

For the most part, Arnold’s weaknesses (or perhaps concerns would be a better word) would be the above-listed measurements. Even though he did alright in college, I wouldn’t leave him in man coverage constantly at the NFL level against speedier receivers. On occasion, his off-man coverage would be overly soft and allow easy catches. And his press is lackluster.

So far, Arnold hasn't been good in the pros, but there might be a good reason for it. — Green Bay Packers cornerback Bo Melton (16) catches a pass against Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (6). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s that last point that is most compelling when trying to solve why he was such a disappointing player for the Lions after being selected 24th overall. Detroit is one of the most press-heavy teams in the NFL, and Arnold’s struggles there can very likely be explained by this. He was asked to do something that was against his strengths.

Mike Has A Plan

If the Seahawks are getting the player the Lions have gotten the last two seasons, then there’s not much to say here. He’s still probably preferable to the trio of rookies the team has at the position, particularly with Julian Neal missing most of training camp, but I wouldn’t anticipate anything particularly good coming out of his play. Replacement level, hopefully.

Let's figure this out and get Arnold back to what he was doing at Alabama. — Detroit Lions CB Terrion Arnold signs autographs at the end of the joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

But if we get the player coming out of Alabama two years ago, before the Lions tried to fit his square peg into a round hole? Now you’ve got something. Something better than Nehemiah Pritchett, who is right now probably the first outside corner off the bench. And perhaps even better than starter Josh Jobe. It’s a risk, but it’s definitely worth the risk.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Super Bowl champions from Seattle Seahawks On SI —

Sign Up For the Seahawks Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Seattle Seahawks Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google