Terrion Arnold is a dynamic cornerback with outstanding ball skills in the film room.
Although the Las Vegas Raiders will prioritize selecting a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft, it will be challenging to trade up to acquire one. The Raiders have plenty of other needs, notably at cornerback, so they might be better off waiting to see where the board falls.
Terrion Arnold of Alabama is regarded by many as the best corner in this year’s draft class, in part because of his exceptional ball skills. Arnold’s 13 pass breakups and five interceptions from the previous season matched for seventh place among college football’s best at the position, according to Pro Football Focus.
The fact that the Alabama product achieved those numbers while displaying some adaptability makes them even more remarkable.Here, Arnold is forced to play in the box like a strong safety or linebacker as Ole Miss deploys a two-tight end set with both tight ends on his side of the formation. Additionally, they put the slot receiver in a jet motion in his direction, which is a clear sign that the offense plans to run a play to target him.
In order to position himself to defend the run and either force the ball carrier to cut inside where the rest of the defense is or make the play himself, Arnold evaluates the play design after the snap and searches for width. He beats the blocker to the spot with it and a fast trigger downhill.
The corner puts down his pads, wraps up, andThe following play finds Arnold in press coverage against a slot receiver who is positioned in a reduced split close to the right tackle and is naturally a tight end. In the running game, the offense wants the corner to play more like a standup outside linebacker, and that is exactly what the corner is doing.
But Arnold takes the tight end on physically and uses his hands really well to take on the block. By doing so, he can establish his advantage and compel the rushing back to sever his way through the defense for a brief gain. In essence, he creates the play without ever creating it.
This is a rather good return for a guy whose last recorded weight was under 200 pounds.Arnold was the target of several one-on-one matchup attempts from Ole Miss, who would try to fade the ball to see if the wideout could reach up and catch it. But that tactic wasn’t very successful.
Now that he’s opening his hips a bit too early, which could interfere with a wide receiver’s cross-over release, I would like to see Arnold be a little more patient at the line of scrimmage. However, the rep is nearly flawless in every other way.
In order to stay in phase, he mirrors the receiver’s speed, seeks for the ball at the same moment as the receiver does, locates it with his hands, and ends by high-pointing the ball in the
