Lions CB Terrion Arnold getting plenty of Defensive Rookie of the Year buzz

Fairly inexplicably, driven by the run on offensive players to start the draft, Terrion Arnold fell right into the Detroit Lions' lap (after a trade up in the first round of April's draft. Everything he's shown thus far, from memorable quotes to flashes of his talent at OTAs, has proven he's a good fit.

Right after the draft, ESPN's Matt Miller named Arnold his early favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. This week, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports put Arnold No. 1 on his list of 10 candidates to win the award.

"In the 2023 regular season, the Lions finished fourth in defensive pressure rate at 41.6%, and they added butt-kicking nose tackle D.J. Reader to the front along with Marcus Davenport. The Lions are going to disrupt the quarterback. Often. 
Music to the ears of Arnold, who, alongside former teammate Brian Branch, is going to be a magnet to the football en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year."

Mina Kimes adds specific fuel to Terrion Arnold Defensive Rookie of the Year buzz

On Thursday's episode of "NFL Live", ESPN's Mina Kimes talked about the Lions' defense, and more directly, Arnold's path to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.

"In Terrion Arnold, they've got a corner, who I truly believe can be a solid press-man corner, at minimum, in the NFL", Kimes said. "And his ability to do so, is going to depend largely, on Aaron Glenn....he was the DBs coach when Marshon Lattimore won Defensive Rookie of the Year....if he can do the same thing with Terrion Arnold in Detroit, I think that will dramatically elevate this team's Super Bowl odds..."

The Lions overhauled their cornerback room to give Glenn the ability to call his defense the way he'd like to (more man coverage). Arnold is a core piece of that overhaul, now and down the road. As for his legit candidacy for Defensive Rookie of the Year, being a cornerback makes it more of a challenge. But right now the opportunity is in front of him to get it done, and be the fourth Lion to win the award.