2020 NFL Draft: Post-Combine Detroit Lions mock draft
It’s no secret Detroit needs help in the secondary. After grabbing a play-making safety in round two, the Lions grab a play-making cornerback in the third round. Damon Arnette, the corner out of OSU, has a high upside and the potential to be a number one cornerback in the NFL. He has drawn comparisons to cornerback Kyle Fuller and the Lions’ very own Darius Slay.
In three years as a starter at OSU, he was able to snag four interceptions, 111 tackles, two forced fumbles, and 22 passes defended. He never had less than six passes defended in a single season he started and shows his knack for being able to displace the ball from its intended target.
His best traits are his ability to man up his opponents and get his hands on the ball. His tackling is widely seen as his worst trait as he won’t offer much in the way run support. However, that is not the most important thing a corner needs and Arnette is aggressive with his receivers and will not be easily beat off the line.
The Draft Network’s Ben Solak is the one that compared him to Slay and had many good things to say about his potential to make an impact as soon as year one for an NFL team:
"“Arnette displayed an aggressive approach to press coverage that allowed him to win by disrupting route timing early and crowding route stems in the short game… his transitional quickness and hip mobility allow him a full range of short-area recovery, and he has tremendous ball skills at the catch point at all angles. Arnette should start in Year 1”."
The Lions don’t need a corner prospect who can take over the top cornerback spot in year one as they shouldn’t trade away Slay. Even if they do (as has been widely speculated), it would be hard to see them willing to go into 2020 without signing another top corner on the market such as Byron Jones. All in all, Arnette would provide Detroit with a very nice developmental corner who has the chance to transform into a top cornerback, and who should be an above-average number two cornerback at worst.