CB Terrion Arnold Prospect Deep Dive: How The Stellar Athlete Compares To His Alabama Counterpart

Terrion Arnold had little first-round hype a few months ago but has recently shot up draft boards dramatically. That would be because he was a menacing force in Alabama’s secondary throughout 2023. Opposing teams saw how dangerous it was to throw towards Kool-Aid McKinstry‘s way. That led to teams heavily testing Arnold’s way throughout the season. He lived up to those tests and beyond as he came away with 13 pass breakups and five picks on the season. While thriving in zone and man coverage, Arnold also displayed high-end athletic traits. His teammate, Kool-Aid, who I’m a massive fan of, has begun to fall below Arnold. Whether that is warranted is what we’ll be discussing today, as well as a look into what he does best and struggles with the most.

Five all-22 games and his highlights were evaluated, and clips from his film are broken down here. All relevant traits were graded based on his film. His scouting report also factored in stats and analytics, such as PFF grades. Use promo code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Please gamble responsibly and leave your feedback on Twitter @FBIntellect.

DB Stats

Film Analysis

Terrion Arnold does what he does best in the clip above. That would be him making an exceptional play on the ball. Alabama runs a man blitz putting heavy pressure on the young Corner. He does a good job of mirroring the Receiver in press-man and shows a terrific burst to close in on the ball.

Here, in press-man coverage again, Arnold effortlessly mirrors one of the best route runners in this class. He plays the press pretty safely here and relies on his athleticism to hang with Ladd McConkey.

Arnold continues to show why he’s got some of the best ball skills I’ve ever evaluated. You have to love the physicality he shows at the top of the route to get in position to make a play on the ball.

This clip shows how his aggressive mentality can lead to game-changing picks. The defense is in cover three-match, and Arnold intelligently bails his zone to carry with the vertical route over the middle. He then showed an excellent ability to track down the ball.

I put this clip here to show how impressive of a run defender he is. Notice how he immediately triggers down on the ball when he hands it off. The burst, aggressive mentality, and instincts allow him to make this play.

Grades

OVR Grade: 1-100

Traits/ Skills

(Grades are subject to change until draft day.)

Terrion Arnold’s Pros and Cons

Terrion Arnold Bio

• With the proper size and length to play Corner and excellent fluidity, Terrion Arnold has what it takes to be an all-pro Corner at the next level.

Pros

• Frame and size are ideal for a boundary Corner.
• Remarkable composure in phase and aggressive at playing the ball.
• Quickness/ fluidity combo is borderline elite.
• Good enough long speed to hold up against most NFL perimeter Receivers.
• Physicality and rugged mentality make him an exceptional run-defender.
• Aggressive and a moderately sure tackler.
• Excelled in man coverage as well as match coverage.
• Very instinctive and a relatively intelligent player for his age.
• Flashed impressive reps in press coverage where he could effectively disrupt the timing of the route with a one-hand jam.
• If he doesn’t work out at Corner, he has a skillset that would be perfect to play a hybrid Safety role.

Cons

• While very good, he doesn’t possess elite physical traits such as speed and length.
• Occasionally gives up too much of a cushion in zone coverage and bails from zones early.
• Still learning how to play press coverage consistently; will occasionally be overly aggressive and go for two-hand punches at the line and get out of position.
• Lacks experience and struggled in cover three throughout his young career.

Combine – TBD

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Pro Day – TBD

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Shuttle:

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Broad Jump:

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Bench:

Arm length:

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All-22 Games Watched:

• Arkansas, 2022
• Georgia, 2023
• LSU, 2023
• Texas, 2023
• Ole Miss, 2023

Final Conclusion on Terrion Arnold

While I understand why many fans and draft analysts have him as CB-one, to me, ball production is only a minute part of the equation. Fans love to look at picks and pass breakups like those are the only things that matter. However, someone like Kool-Aid was so feared he got targeted practically half as much. That didn’t allow him the opportunity to make the same amount of big plays in coverage as Arnold had. It’s not like Arnold has this ridiculous long speed either. Both are comparable athletes, and Kool-Aid has much more experience at the position. If Arnold was truly better, why did Nick Saban play him as the number two Corner all year? Not to say Arnold won’t go high, but I’d rather take Kool-Aid, where you know you’re getting a quality day-one starter.

Drafting Arnold is a bit of a risk considering his unrefined pressing ability and lack of reps at the position. It’s still worth it to gamble on him in the 10-15 range of the draft. With his click-and-close ability and fluidity when mirroring defenders, you can see why he has such a high upside. You can tell he’s a former Safety by a few things. He’s overly aggressive in press coverage at times but then also takes excellent angles on the football. If properly developed, we’ll be looking at a scheme-versatile defender who impacts the game in all facets. The fact I’m higher on Kool-Aid shouldn’t overshadow the fact I think this is a damn good prospect. I could easily see a world where Arnold is the best DB from this class. Alabama will be hurting to lose both players next year.