Terrion Arnold was the Detroit Lions’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, selected No. 24 overall after the team traded up at No. 29 to get him.
Still, the Alabama cornerback says he was almost picked at No. 13 by the Las Vegas Raiders. Appears on Podcast “The Next Round”.Arnold said he was told by a Raiders coach that the team had to choose between him, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, and ultimately made their choice on a coin flip.
“[The Lions] I knew there was a possibility the Raiders could take me,” Arnold explained. “And actually the Raiders coach called me after the draft. They were like, we had a toss between you and Brock Bowers and it landed on him.
After the Raiders passed Arnold, the Lions tried to stay ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who held the No. 17 pick before trading with the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit was unable to make a deal, but the Jaguars did not select Arnold at No. 23 after he went down. The Lions then made a trade with the Dallas Cowboys to move up to No. 24 (from No. 29) and got their man.
Spoke to @Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, and denied speaking to Terrion Arnold. “No phone call and no coin toss.”
“As soon as the last two QBS left the board. We said BOWERS all the way.” -AP
He also said the Bowers’ pick was done before the Raiders were on the clock.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) May 9, 2024
However, the Raiders deny Arnold’s version of events and say such a conversation with the coaching staff never took place. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told ESPN’s Ryan Clark there was “not a phone call and not a coin.”
“As soon as the last two QBs came off the board, we said Bowers all the way,” Pierce added.
Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly also disputed Arnold’s account.
“Yeah, I can’t confirm that at all. Terrion is a good player. I’m excited to see his career and see him play,” Kelly told Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “But we drafted Brock, and we’re happy to get him here. And I don’t think anyone else in our entire art room thought otherwise.”
The Raiders probably don’t want the suggestion that they didn’t have full confidence in Bowers as their first-round pick. Any other NFL team would likely take similar offense. It’s also entirely possible that the person Arnold was talking to wasn’t literally talking about a “coin,” but he did take it that way. And it makes for a great story.
Whether Bowers or Arnold will be the better NFL player will become clear years from now. Or maybe both players will make their teams happy.
