First-round pick of the New York Giants, wide receiver Malik Nabers, bought a house as a Mother’s Day present for his mom. But it doesn’t sound like Detroit Lions first-round cornerback Terrion Arnold will be as sweet to his mom this weekend.
Not that Arnold isn’t close to his mother. The rookie cornerback described his mom as his “rock” when he addressed her in front of reporters on May 10. But she is apparently a rock that likes to get a little rough.
“When I used to beat my mom in racing [as a kid], I had to genuinely beat her. We used to fight when i was younger, just wrestling with her or playing around,” Arnold told reporters. “Man, I’ll never forget, one time, my mom kicked my tooth out cause we was just going at it so hard.”
If that type relationship taught Arnold anything, it’s that he won’t let anyone get in the way of his NFL goals.
“If my mom was out here right now, and she lined up across from me as a receiver, I’d jam her into the dirt,” said Arnold. “That’s my mindset, and my mom knows that.
“But I just mean it as a simple aspect of football wise, that’s just the way that I think and the way I was brought up.”
Terrion Arnold Fits With the Detroit Lions
Talking about knocking down your own mother will be excessive for some, especially on Mother’s Day weekend. But if the Lions created a first-round cornerback in a laboratory, he would probably have an attitude exactly like Arnold’s.
After all, Detroit’s head coach is Dan Campbell, who mentioned biting off kneecaps in his opening press conference with the team in January 2021.
“There might be a long distance from biting the kneecap of an opposing player to jamming your mother in the dirt if she lined up against you, but it speaks to Arnold’s commitment to giving the Lions everything he’s got no matter the situation,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells.
It’s no secret the Lions needed to add young cornerbacks to their roster this offseason. But Arnold’s mindset was likely a big reason why Detroit traded up from No. 29 to No. 24 to ensure the team landed the cornerback in the 2024 NFL draft.
To move up five spots, the Lions sent their remaining third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys.
How Arnold Fits With the Lions Defense
It’s important to note that Arnold likely won’t just fit in because of his attitude. He is also poised to become an immediate starter and fill arguably the team’s biggest need on the roster.
The Lions finished 27th in pass defense and 29th in passing yards allowed per attempt last season. After those poor rankings, Detroit revamped its secondary in free agency. The team made some moves by choice while others were out of necessity because of an off-the-field problem with Cameron Sutton.
But the end result is a Lions secondary that now has Arnold, who some draft experts considered the best cornerback in the 2024 draft class. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Arnold to 4-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore.
In addition to Arnold, the Lions selected Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw in the second round of the draft. Together, Detroit hopes Arnold and Rakestraw will be building blocks for the team’s cornerback room.
