LIONS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER BRAD HOLMES DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET

Opening Statement: “So obviously – I don’t want to say speechless, but overly thrilled with how tonight went. All these Drafts, you never know how it’s going to go. You know, you kind of got winds – we knew it was an offensive-heavy Draft, that’s what we did know. But we didn’t quite know was that those defenders would get pushed to that point, especially a guy like (Lions CB) Terrion (Arnold). But we couldn’t be more ecstatic or thrilled how it went.”

On what point they started to make calls about trading up when they saw Lions first-round draft selection CB Terrion Arnold was still available: “Yeah, I mean I was calling late teens. I was calling just trying to see. I didn’t think he was going to be there. Really, didn’t think he was going to be there calling late teens, but really trying and thinking we were going to have to settle for a different player at a different position but still trade up. But yeah, it wasn’t a whole lot of trade backs that early just because it kind of fell I think well for a lot of people. So, I’m still a little kind of – never thought he would be there, but we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

On if selecting Lions CB Terrion Arnold is a perfect combination of choosing the best available player while filling a need: “One hundred percent. It doesn’t always match up that way. I know you guys have heard me say a million times we don’t care what the position is, we just want to get the best football player, but it happened to match up with it’s the best football player and it was an area where we wanted to add one at some point. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to add one in the first round, and to be honest we weren’t really anticipating being able to add one in the first round. So, we just kind of thought we would be out of the mix for a lot of those guys, especially him. Especially him because he was our best – he was our highest-rated corner.”

On Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s ball production and if it could translate to the NFL: “Yeah, he’s sticky. He can play man coverage. The thing about Terrion, what’s great about him – some of these guys, they are what they are or you might say, ‘Well, the ceiling might not be as high.’ The thing about him is you go back to his ’22 film, you go back to earlier this season, and you saw an incremental improvement just every single game. So I think the first time I watched one of his games was I think it was the LSU game, that’s when I first kind of saw him and I was like, ‘OK, I see skillset.’ But then you start getting down – you start getting to those late games in the college football playoffs and you see him against Georgia and you’re like, ‘OK, it’s on the come.’ And that as well with the skillset. We feel really good about his floor, but we feel even better about his ceiling. We feel really good about the kid. We brought him in, we interviewed him. We brought him in, he’s got a big personality. He’s got a high ceiling. He’s a sticky corner. He’ll tackle. He’s got good size and length. He had a great workout when I went down to see him at his pro day. That was a game that I kind of wanted – I wanted to catch an Alabama game, but never was able to get there. We made a concerted effort to get to his pro day, and he had a great workout. Again, we’re just really thrilled with how it fell this way.”

On Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s physicality playing man-to-man: “Yeah, that’s not an issue. That’s not an issue. He’ll get in your face. He’s got a challenge mentality. He will tackle. He’s got the right mindset that we’re looking for. He fits us like a glove. He fits us to a tee exactly how we want to play. We couldn’t be (more) thrilled. Like you guys know, it’s kind of a – when guys don’t play hard, when guys aren’t physical, it’s hard to play here when those guys aren’t wired that way, but he’s one of those guys that are wired that way.”

On what he has learned about the Alabama program after selecting a player from the school three first-rounds in a row: “Yeah I mean look, I have so much respect for (former Alabama Head Coach) Nick (Saban) and everything that he’s done with that program. That’s one of those places where when I was a young southeast scout, you just go to Alabama and you just want to camp out there for a week because not only do they have really good players, but you knew the level of player you were getting and you saw the type of practices you were having and the information access. But ultimately, the coaching that they were already receiving, those guys practice hard. They practice intense. And so, you just kind of – I think I said it last year about not only about Alabama, but we got the two kids from Iowa last year. There are a lot of other schools I can say that about, like you know we’ve got Michigan right down the road. But when you pull kids out of those programs, you pretty much have a good feel. Not all of them are the same as a person, but you kind of know what they’ve already been through and you definitely know what kind of coaching they’ve had and you’ve seen them versus the highest level, and there’s really not a whole lot more to see. Again, I never thought it would have worked out like that with the continuous Bama to Bama to Bama, but I’m not surprised either because we knew how we wanted to build our football team, and those guys have been a stalwart powerhouse in the top college football conference for a very long time. Again, Saban, you see him in practice. He spends a lot of time with his DBs every time I’ve been to practice, an Alabama practice. Again, it gives you a little higher-level comfort.”

On what he learned about how Lions CB Terrion Arnold is wired through the pre-Draft process: “Yeah, he’s got a lot of energy. A lot of energy. Again, he’s got a challenge mindset. He’s got a challenge mentality. He’s got the physicality. I mean, he’s gritty. And he’s still developing, that’s the thing about him. He’s still growing and he’s still getting better. That’s what you kind of love about him. He is a corner. I don’t want to say he’s a flashy guy, he’s a big personality, but in a good way. I think you guys will enjoy him. He’s got a great smile. He’s got a lot of energy. He’s got different interests. I know me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) enjoyed our time spent with him as well as all of our coaches. The mindset checked. That box was checked and obviously the player and the skillset checked. And as you guys know, it’s more than just the skillset for us. That’s the easy part. That’s the easy part to see if someone is athletic, if someone can run fast, can change directions. You can do that day one. It’s like how’s a guy wired, and we felt good about that.”

On how close the group of top cornerbacks was in his mind and what set Lions CB Terrion Arnold apart: “Yeah, just – again, this is the great thing about the Draft. It’s 31 other rankings and boards. We had a pretty let’s call it ‘significant’ line underneath him to the next guy in our opinion. It wasn’t – we didn’t really have a lot of guys that were up there even in that first round bucket at that position, but he was one of the small few that was even up there in consideration for us. But it was a line.”

LIONS 2024 FIRST-ROUND DRAFT SELECTION (24^TH OVERALL) DB TERRION ARNOLD DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET

On his confidence and what he can bring to the Lions defense: “I’m a shut-down corner. So, I’m coming in to guard (wide) receiver ones off the rip. I feel like I was already coming in with a chip on my shoulder just based on the Draft, and how everything was going. On top of that, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes), he traded up to get me. And that means a lot to me, so I’m going to go out there and I’m going to show why he did it.”

On if he had a sense that the Lions drafting him was a realistic possibility: “Yeah, of course. Even talking to guys like (Lions DB) Brian Branch. I was like, ‘If I can get united with you in the secondary again, it would be elite,’ because playing with him at Alabama, it was fun. We played off each other, fed off each other, and I’m just glad I get to do it again. As far as competing against guys like (Lions WR) Jameson Williams, being with guys like (Lions RB) Jahmyr Gibbs, it means everything to me, man. Those are my brothers. It’s something special going on here in Detroit. I feel like they just need to take that one extra step, and I think we could do it this year.”

On what it was like to get drafted in Detroit tonight: “It was ecstatic, man. I grabbed the mic, and I said I was home because I really meant it. Like, you could feel it. You could feel the crowd, the energy and I’m just ready to get in front of our fans. I feel like we’ve got the best fanbase in the NFL.”

On if he feels like the secondary is on solid ground with the offensive threats in the NFC North: “I’m ready. It’s just an opportunity to go out there and win Defensive Rookie of the Year. When you come in everybody knows when you are a rookie, you know teams are going to try you. It’s a great opportunity to just establish myself and show the fans I really am a crowd favorite. You sit up here, and you talk it, you’ve got to be able to back it up.”

On what makes him so good at forcing turnovers: “I am not looking to get PBUs. Anytime the ball is in the air I am looking to take it away. Not only am I looking to take it away, I am looking to score. You guys haven’t really seen my return ability, but just know when I get my first (turnover) one, if I am kind of on equal footing, it’s going to be a show, man. I can’t promise I’m going to score because I don’t want to sit up here and give false hope, but I promise you I’m not going down without a fight.”

On where he thinks he needs to develop and grow the most: “I feel I need to get stronger. With me just turning 21, obviously, I’m not even into my grown-man strength (yet). I’ve only been playing corner for two years. So, this year, I’m looking forward to taking the next leap in my game. I would have done the same thing if I was returning to college, but I am grateful I can do it in the NFL this year.”

On the biggest lesson he learned from his time at Alabama: “I just learned the importance of camaraderie and just having a great relationship with your teammates. You can’t call someone your brother if you don’t really know what they stand for, if you don’t know their family, or what motivates them. So, I learned how to interact with my teammates and figure out what pushes them and what drives them, and they learned the same thing about me.”

On his impressions of Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn during his top 30 visits: “Sat in there with Coach Glenn, I said, ‘Coach, I would love to play for you. As far as being a cornerback, man, we’re going to be best friends,’ because he played the game. He knows what it’s like to run out of the tunnel, to feel the emotion. He’s going to make me a great player. He’s going to coach me hard. And then Coach Dan, as far as a coach, man, he’s a great guy, man. Gets the best out of his players. The first thing he told me, he was like, ‘Dude, your level of play speed, you have another gear that you could tap into. You’re only 21 years old. I think you’re one of the youngest players in the Draft. If we get the chance to have you, if the opportunity presents itself, we’re coming to get you.’ So, when they called me, I said, ‘It’s go time, Coach.”

On Lions CB Carlton Davis being from Auburn: “I am the new kid on the block. All that college stuff goes out the window. We’re teammates. I’m ready to listen to him because obviously he’s been in the League. He’s been successful in the League and I’m eager to learn from him. I just pride myself on being humble, and obviously, if I don’t know anything, or if I’m in unchartered territory and someone wants to go out there and give me great advice, teach me how to be a professional, learn from him, I’m looking forward to doing that.”

On what it is about players from Alabama that makes them good pros and attracts them to the Detroit Lions: “Development, and the importance of winning, and the importance of competing. When you come to Alabama you have to change your mindset because it’s going to be a dogfight every day – as far as whether it’s practice, definitely the games because you’re going to get everyone’s best, and Coach (Nick) Saban pushed us to the limit every day and that’s what the Lions are trying to do. We’re trying to take that next step as far as winning that Super Bowl.”

LIONS PASSING GAME COORDINATOR/DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH DESHEA TOWNSEND DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET

On if he worked picking a cornerback in the first round of the Draft into his contract: “Oh, man, that’s the one thing we always want is good competition. It makes everybody better, makes the room better, makes the building better, so he adds more competition to our room.”

On his first impressions of Lions first-round draft selection (24^th overall) CB Terrion Arnold and what he showed him in pre-Draft meetings as a person and player: “Well, one thing that he showed was just how smart he was. The type of competitive and just smart and understanding of football were some of the things that stood out right away. His understanding of the scheme, the things they did at Alabama, how he was able to have some position flexibility, all those. You saw that when you talked to him and then you just saw his personality. You got a chance to kind of understand how he wants to compete, how he loves to compete and that’s one of the most important things to be a really good pro, is have that competitive nature.”

On the attributes Lions CB Terrion Arnold needs to have to be successful in the NFL: “Oh, man, he’s a corner. That’s one thing you’ve got to have – you’ve got to have confidence. You’ve got to be borderline cocky, but you’ve got to be humble at the same time. And he is – he is a kid that has confidence, but having that confidence, he understands that he has to work, and that’s the one thing I felt from him when I talked to him.”

On what he saw on film from Lions CB Terrion Arnold and his ability to get takeaways: “Yeah, no that’s one of the most important things that I look at is when we’re watching a corner is can he track and locate? Can he take the ball away? That’s one thing that you want to have the ability to do is be able to find the ball when you’re in phase and go create turnovers. And that’s always good when you can do it. But his ability, naturally find the ball is something that he has.”

On the first things he does as a coach to help a young cornerback in his transition into the League: “I just – the biggest thing is just getting that foundation or technique. I always try to find home base when things don’t go right and then having the short-term memory, not panicking, not being that type of person that when something goes wrong, that you go into a hole or to a tank. You’ve got to stay here, especially at corner. You’ve got to be able to go play. It’s not always going to go perfect, but we want to have more wins than losses and that’s the one thing that I always try to make sure my guys understand is we’ve got to keep playing. No matter how it goes, we’re going to finish it the right way and he has that mentality. Just making sure that his foundation is right, making sure his technique is sound and we’ve always got some home base to go back to when things get a little bit shaky.”

On if he was rooting for Lions CB Terrion Arnold to be the Lions’ first pick or if he wanted a different pick: “Well, I’ll say this, every coach in the building selfishly wants all the players they can get. But when you have a guy like that, that’s kind of – other teams pick who they want, but when you see one of your top players is still there, it always makes it exciting to have an opportunity to get him and when we saw the trade come in, we’re not in the room with the head coach and the GM, so we kind of looking who is it and we had an opportunity to see who it was, so it was a nice feeling.”