Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Terrion Arnold is impressing a lot of NFL scouts with not only his play but his personality. Several teams are seriously considering taking him as their first draft pick in next week’s NFL Draft.
In an interview with Up and Adams, Arnold said he was born to play cornerback.
“Brian Dawkins, Deion Sanders, guys like that were born to play football… and I’m one of them.”
"Brian Dawkins, Deion Sanders, guys like that were born to play football… and I'm one of them."
All-American @AlabamaFTBL CB Terrion Arnold on knowing at an early age what he wanted to accomplish 🔊@ArnoldTerrion @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/VOzSbvxpHS
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 17, 2024
Arnold became a fan favorite among Alabama fans and also a favorite of former head coach Nick Saban’s wife Terri, whom he has a close relationship.
Arnold talked to former teammate Trevon Diggs, a star cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Trevon, he’s a great guy,” Arnold said during his appearance Wednesday on the show.” “He comes back to the games and stuff. And even just talking to him one-on-one, he said, ‘Man, just remember: You’re with the greatest coach of all time. He sees it. He knows what he’s talking about. Just trust it.”
Diggs had to remind Arnold during his playing time in Tuscaloosa to trust the process as he did when he was there.
“He (Diggs) said he had his hardships with dealing with whether he wanted to be a receiver like his brother. But you saw that it worked out well for him, and he’s glad he trusted it.”
Diggs became an All-Pro for the Dallas Cowboys at cornerback and broke several NFL records.
Like Diggs, Arnold wanted to play on the offensive side of the ball and loved playing wide receiver.
“It was a lot of bumps in the road,” he said. “I’ve always felt like playing offense, just liking the ball in my hands. Same thing when I catch interceptions. I’m a crowd-pleaser. I’ve always told myself no matter what when you come to the game, you’re going to say in your head, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen today, but Terrion is going to do something amazing.’
Despite his love of playing offense, Arnold turned himself into one of the best defensive backs in the country. But he admitted adjusting to defense was hard at first.
“That was hard for me just making that adjustment. But when I realized playing cornerback, you had to be different, and you can also do the same thing. Guys like Darrelle Revis, they showed you could really lock down one side of the field and if you become very, very good at that, then you become, as they say, a high-sought-after talent. That transition, it was smooth, but at the same time, obviously, it had its ups and downs,” he said.
Arnold also admitted there were times he wanted to give up and wondered if he made the right decision.
“It was days I felt like I didn’t want to play it,” said Arnold. “But it was just a testament to how bad do you love the game and you just reflect on your why. I know why I’m doing the game. I know what my purpose is, so it made it easier for me when I looked at stuff like that.”
His positive attitude on and off the field is why so many NFL teams are considering taking him very high in next week’s draft.
