Terrion Arnold might have been a surprise first-round fall during the 2024 NFL Draft, as he wasn’t picked until the Detroit Lions traded up to No. 24 overall to pick him. However, according to Arnold, he nearly went as high as No. 13 to the Las Vegas Raiders, who made their choice between him and Brock Bowers in stunning fashion.
Terrion Arnold Claims Raiders Made Coin-Flip Decision in Round 1
Arnold appeared on “The Next Round” on Tuesday. While joining the show to discuss his future in the NFL and how the entire draft process went for him, he revealed an interesting wrinkle on how he almost became a Raider.
Arnold states that the Raiders were caught up between picking him and Bowers and that the deciding factor was none other than a coin toss.
How did the Raiders decide between drafting Terrion Arnold and Brock Bowers?
A coin flip. pic.twitter.com/oHAcFeeyIx
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 7, 2024
“They knew that the Raiders was a possibility that they took me, and actually the Raiders coach, they called me after the draft, and they were like, ‘You know we actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers, and it landed on him,’ I was like ‘Oh wow.'”
As Arnold states, Bowers was the Raiders’ selection at pick 13, and Arnold would hear his name called 11 selections later at No. 24 overall to the Lions. It’s later than many had projected Arnold to land, but as he describes in the video clip above, it was a heavy offensive draft that allowed him to fall to a Detroit team that didn’t think he would be available.
It’s unknown if that was what truly happened, as using a coin toss as an analogy is a common saying. However, if a coin toss as Arnold describes it actually happened, it would be an interesting storyline to watch play out over both his and Bowers’ careers.
If Bowers goes on to have an excellent NFL career, this will go down as a funny little draft joke from their rookie season. But on the other hand, if Arnold is excellent like many in Detroit believe he can be, what seemed to be a harmless comment may backfire on the Raiders’ decision-makers.
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Both players are blue-chip prospects who were locks to go in the first round, and there’s a world where both players and the franchises that selected them are all happy with the decisions made.
Still, in today’s day and age of social media and players speaking up more than ever, it will be interesting to see how it unfolds over the next decade and if there’s any reason to revisit this alleged coin toss.