Terrion Arnold Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Donald Page/Getty Images)

School: Alabama

Class: Junior

Position: CB

HT: 6’0

WT: 188 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #8

Background: Terrion Arnold was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school. He was ranked as the 2nd best safety in his graduating class. Arnold is originally from Tallahassee, Florida and attended John Paul II Catholic High School. Arnold was a consensus 5-star recruit and top-40 player in the class. He was selected to play in the All-American Bowl. Arnold is a pure athlete and lettered in both football and basketball in high school. He chose to commit to Alabama over schools such as Florida, Georgia, and Miami.

College: Terrion Arnold didn’t see the field for Alabama in 2021 as a freshman and opted to redshirt. In 2022, as a redshirt freshman, Arnold took the role as a starting defensive back for the Crimson Tide. He was selected to the Freshman All-American Team by the FWAA and was also named to the Freshman All-SEC Team. He totaled one interception and 8 pass breakups. In 2023, Arnold was named a First Team All-American and First Team All-Conference. He led the SEC with 5 interceptions on the season.

Strengths: Terrion Arnold boasts an impressive frame for a cornerback. He has long arms that help to disrupt passes and invade the receiver’s catch radius. Not only is he a long cornerback, but he is also strong. His strength allows him to play with a physicality that wide receivers cannot compete with. Arnold’s strength does not take away from his movement skills. He has loose hips and the ability to cut on a dime.Terrion explodes out of his backpedal once the play develops. Arnold does not easily get stacked for leverage as he is too physical and too difficult to shake off of the inside hip of the receiver. He recovers easily. While Arnold is sticky in man coverage, he is also an excellent zone defender. His length and range allow him to take up significant volume and he does well to hand off routes to the deep safety. Terrion Arnold is a willing tackler and his frame allows him to be extremely effective. His explosiveness creates momentum as he reaches the ball carrier to make a big hit.

Weaknesses: Terrion Arnold seems like a home run cornerback, but a few weaknesses should be noted. Arnold often bites too hard on double moves and can get burnt, forcing himself to have to recover. In zone coverage, he plays too soft and gets too deep into coverage; hook and curl routes tend to beat him consistently.

Conclusion: Terrion Arnold has developed into a special player and he has all of the traits to be just as dominant in the NFL. He projects best to man coverage where he can completely shutdown the other team’s best receiver.

Scheme Fit: Man Coverage

Ideal Role: Boundary CB

Best Team Fits: JAX, BUF, IND

Player Comparison: Patrick Surtain

Player Grade: 90.4