Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold had to endure plenty of criticism for his performance early in his NFL career.
Arnold struggled with pass interference penalties early on in the season, and though he demonstrated some comfortability later in the year, he totaled seven penalties of this category in his rookie season.
The Alabama product was drafted with the hopes of becoming the team's next shutdown corner, and the consensus opinion remains that he is capable of doing so. However, not all analysts are as bullish on his future.
Arnold was listed among six 2024 first-round picks who need to bounce back to avoid being labled busts, along with Minnesota's Dallas Turner, Arizona's Darius Robinson, Dallas' Tyler Guyton, Green Bay's Jordan Morgan and Carolina's Xavier Leggette.
NFL analyst Matt Holder believes Arnold is facing urgency heading into his second season with the Lions having Super Bowl goals.
"Last year was certainly a learning experience for the Alabama product," Holder wrote. "Speaking to his growth down the stretch of the team's schedule, he is expected to be a starter heading into year two. However, especially while playing for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, he can't get too comfortable or afford to get off to a slow start in 2025."
Holder acknowledged that the Lions have had issues at the cornerback position previously, and Arnold is a player the team hopes can solve these problems.
In order to do so, though, he'll need to demonstrate growth after some ups and downs in his first season.
"Fair or not, the Detroit Lions selected Terrion Arnold with the hopes he could solve one of the most significant issues from the year before, as cornerback was arguably their biggest weakness heading into last year's draft," Holder said. "However, the 24th overall selection got picked on as a rookie, surrendering the 10th-most receptions (56) among cornerbacks and a 99.2 passer rating when targeted during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus."
