Back for the 2024 NFL Draft edition, The Trick Play team is once again offering to immerse you in the heart of the event through the scouting reports of Rayane and Valentin. Who will become the next gem of the pro world and who, on the contrary, risks a spectacular flop?
The 2024 NFL Draft starts right now on TTP!
Strengths :
Weaknesses :
CB Terrion Arnold
— Valentin (@ScoutValentin) January 8, 2024
Solid build with good straight-line speed !
Best reps come on press.
Physical run support.
Showed progress in 2023.
Allows too much space off-coverage.
Routes recognition isn't ideal.
Zone coverage awareness is questionable
Needs to mature, Late 2nd rd talent pic.twitter.com/P53RqdkS2A
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Terrion Arnold has the ideal build for the position, he is lanky but still a very intriguing athlete. He has good straight-line speed, solid acceleration, and good power. His footwork is quite inconsistent depending on the position he is in; he occasionally shows good foot speed and even coordination, but only in certain aspects of his game at the moment.
Technically, Arnold also shows some promising aspects. His backpedal is a bit too high for my liking, which can lead to some imbalance at times when he wants to change direction. His hips are fluid, and in man coverage, there are no major transition issues, on the contrary. In press coverage, Arnold does a good job, although technically, I would have liked to see more progress, such as in his "Trail technique," for example (the act of placing an arm on the receiver's numbers and pushing him to the outside). He's very patient off the line but remains aggressive, especially with his initial punches, thanks to his fairly violent hands, which allow him to gain the upper hand on the receiver's jab.
Where it gets more complicated for him is when he's in off-man coverage; he leaves far too much space for the WRs, and even on certain cross routes, he simply drops coverage and assigns it to another DB. It's very disconcerting. His recognition of WR routes is the main problem in my opinion, so he ends up being very hesitant, leaving room for big plays for the opposing offense about 70% of the time. The worst is when he's in the slot. Against Texas A&M, he was mainly in the slot, and his film doesn't look good at all.
In zone coverage, he shows some good moments, but even here, he leaves too much space for receivers. His closing speed isn't great, mainly because his footwork is less than optimal. I question his IQ in this area, which is really inconsistent, even though we see him communicate a lot like his teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry, it's much less precise, and he tends to shirk the work.
In 2022, his ball skills were scary; he didn't track the ball well, especially on back shoulder throws, and his eye/foot/hand coordination was not good at all. In 2023, there was progress, but mainly when he's in press coverage or when he faces the play and has time to locate the ball on deep balls that float. Arnold has long arms and the strength to defend the ball in contact, but there is still work to be done on technique and spatial awareness.
Arnold contributes well against the run game, as he is solid on contact and has good tackling technique. He reads this aspect of the game rather well and can develop a good burst to quickly come in for tackles, whether it's on screens or runs in his zone. He still needs to improve in blitz situations; he lacks agility, technique, and upper body flexibility to be a real threat.
Terrion Arnold is a young prospect who will be 21 years old during his rookie season, but youth doesn't excuse everything. There is still a lot of work to be done with him, but he has shown a lot of flashes of potential this year. I don't think he's NFL-ready; he really needs to gain experience, improve his technique, and increase his football IQ. Based on his progression in 2023 and his age, I assess Terrion Arnold as a late second-round prospect, thanks to these factors; otherwise, he would have been a third-round prospect.