Is Alabama’s Terrion Arnold A Sleeper At Cornerback?

There's Value On The NFL First Cornerback Drafted Prop Board

We’ve seen several scouts and NFL executives blush about a few cornerback prospects in this year’s NFL Draft.

The three that stand out include Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo, Terrion Arnold from Alabama, and Cooper DeJean from Iowa. One of those three will be the first cornerback off the board.

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Below are the best NFL bets for the first cornerback off the board. We’ve researched all three corners and potential landing spots and have come to a conclusion. Below, we’ll discuss each player and where they could potentially land. We’ll also give our best bet for the NFL First Cornerback Drafted prop.

Rockets logo Quinyon Mitchell (-190)

Quinyon Mitchell has elite speed and some of the draft’s best physical tools.

He’s a cornerback from Toledo, so he doesn’t have experience facing the best of the best. However, most mock drafts don’t have Mitchell being the NFL first cornerback drafted.

Instead, he’s been linked to the Colts at pick 15. Indianapolis desperately needs help at cornerback. However, while Mitchell might be there, another cornerback prospect could be off the board before the Colts select.

That said, Mitchell was a two-time all-MAC selection and even made the second-team AP All-American team after leading Toledo with 18 PBUs. He started in 13 NCAAF games and added 40 tackles, a TFL, one INT, and one blocked kick. He also set a Toledo record with 46 career PBUs.

Ultimately, Mitchell looks like a running back. He can play in many different coverage and looked terrific during the Senior Bowl. He’s also very physical with receivers, which makes it difficult for receivers to throw passes in his direction.

While he has many positives, some scouts aren’t sold on his man coverage and believe his anticipation is average.

Crimson Tide logo Terrion Arnold (+225)

Terrion Arnold is an SEC cornerback from Alabama.

He was the first-team All-American who co-led the SEC with five interceptions and led the entire SEC in targets ending with an incompletion, with 43 of them.

In 445 coverage snaps last year, Arnold didn’t even allow a touchdown. If he can do that at the next level, he’ll be one of the top NFL stat leaders.

In many respected mock drafts, Arnold has been linked to the Arizona Cardinals (with a trade) at 11 per The Athletic and to the Broncos at No. 12 with CBS’ Mock Draft.

Both of those mock drafts had Arnold being selected before Mitchell.

Even NFL.com’s mock draft has Arnold going 11 before Mitchell. NFL.com likes Mitchell at No. 17 to the Jaguars. That would make sense and be a fun landing spot. But overall, again, it looks like Arnold is the favorite to go first, while the sportsbooks have him to go second off the board.

The consensus from scouts seems to be that Arnold is the best cornerback in the NFL draft and will be the NFL first cornerback drafted.

Hawkeyes logo Cooper DeJean (+550)

Most mock drafts have Cooper DeJean coming off the board after Mitchell and Arnold. However, PFF’s Big Board Rank has DeJean as the No. 1 cornerback in the draft.

DeJean’s Big Board rank is 8, and Mitchell’s is 10. Meanwhile, Nate Wiggins of Clemson also has a better PFF Big Board Rank than Arnold.

Per PFF, Arnold is the fourth-best corner, while DeJean is the best corner in the draft per PFF.

While some NFL teams probably agree with this assessment, it’s unlikely that any team will draft DeJean off the board before Arnold and Mitchell are off the board. It wouldn’t make much sense. It would be better to trade picks and wait on DeJean.

That said, DeJean is capable of playing multiple positions. Thanks to his intangibles, he can play outside, slot, or safety in the NFL.

DeJean is also a competent special team player and would likely take on that challenge if the team drafted him. So, he would impact more than just as a cornerback, which could help his draft stock overall. It’s still unlikely he becomes the NFL Draft first Cornerback player drafted.

Best Bet: Terrion Arnold +225

It’s unlikely a cornerback will be selected in the top ten of the NFL Draft this year. Instead, we’ll probably see four quarterbacks come off the board to begin the draft.

After Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy, the elite wide receivers will come off the board. Teams won’t be able to pass up on Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, or Rome Odunze at 5, 6, and 7.

Meanwhile, at 8, the Chargers would laugh their way to selecting the No. 1 offensive lineman on the board in Joe Alt. Olu Fashanu will also be off the board before a team chooses a corner. You’d also imagine a few teams are willing to even trade up for Brock Bowers, who could be the next-best tight end in the league.

Arizona would have this pick if the Vikings traded it for the fourth overall selection. If not, it would be Minnesota’s. Still, both teams need cornerback help. Either team would probably select a corner in this spot.

Many outlets have Arnold linked to Minnesota. It was also known that Arnold met with the Cardinals about a week ago. Therefore, we like Arnold to be drafted ahead of Mitchell. He’s a player that can certainly help a team rise in the NFL power rankings.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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