ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Terrion Arnold was all smiles when he arrived at the Detroit Lions' practice facility on Friday for his first day of rookie minicamp wearing No. 0.
The Lions' first-round pick said he chose the number because “there's no one like me.”
Arnold, a cornerback, is just the third player in franchise history to select No. 0, joining FB Johnny Olszewski (1961) and WR Marvin Jones Jr. (2023).
“When I say there's no one like me, I mean in the secondary,” said Arnold, the 24th overall pick out of Alabama. “Obviously last year in this secondary we had ups and downs, but we're going to be exciting, we're going to be dynamic, we're going to play fast and there won't be anyone like us.” .
“So when I say there's no one like me, there's no one like me.”
Despite reaching the NFC Championship for the first time since the 1991 season, Detroit's defense allowed 34 completions thrown at least 20 yards downfield, which tied with the Houston Texans for the second-most in the league. behind the Cincinnati Bengals (35).
Detroit's defense also allowed 28 touchdown passes last year, which was sixth-worst in the league, and Arnold said he wants to help fix those problems immediately.
He joins second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who was also in rookie minicamp, as well as veterans Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson as new CB additions for the Lions.
Arnold, a 2023 first-team AP All-American, tied for the most interceptions (5) and pass breakups (12) in the SEC last season and allowed just one completion in 14 attempts on passes thrown 20-plus. yards.
However, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew says he'll have to earn his spot, like all the other players, after they loaded up at cornerback this offseason.
“I'm sure Rakestraw thinks he's better and Terrion thinks he's better, so they're going to compete, which is great for us. We want competitiveness,” Agnew said. “We don't want guys who kowtow to people. We want guys who compete and think they're going to win the spot. I think they both think they're going to start and they have a lot of work ahead of them.” them.”
By selecting Arnold and Rakestraw, it marked the first time in the common draft era that the Lions selected a defensive back with each of their first two picks. During rookie minicamp, the teammates hugged each other and even joined each other's press meetings where they asked questions.
“Happy to be out there with those guys, all running at full speed. We made mistakes today, but we're going to be better,” Rakestraw Jr. said.
Arnold said his goal in Detroit is to win a Super Bowl, so much so that if his mother was on the field lining up against him at receiver, he would “throw her to the ground” because he wants to win so bad.
“I'll never forget one time my mom kicked my tooth out because we were trying so hard, so if my mom was here right now and she was lined up in front of me as a catcher, I would throw her to the ground,” Arnold said, describing his competitiveness. “That's the way I think, and my mom knows that right now. I mean it in the simple football aspect, that's the way I think and the way I was raised.”
