Terrion Arnold, the Detroit Lions’ first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, claimed he was nearly chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 13, attributing the decision to a coin flip. Arnold, who ultimately went 24th overall to the Lions after they moved up from No. 29, shared his story on “The Next Round” podcast. He recounted that a Raiders coach informed him post-draft that the decision between him and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers came down to a coin toss.
“[The Lions] knew that the Raiders, there was a possibility they’d take me,” Arnold said. “And actually, the Raiders coach called me after the draft. They were like, we had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers and landed on him.”
The Raiders, however, have firmly denied Arnold’s account. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce spoke to ESPN’s Ryan Clark, clarifying that no such call or coin flip occurred. “As soon as the last two QBs went off the board, we said Bowers all the way,” Pierce asserted.
Further disputing the claim, Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly expressed to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, “Yeah, I can’t confirm that at all. Terrion is a good player. I’m excited to watch his career and watch him play. But we drafted Brock, and we’re excited to get him here. And I don’t think anyone else in our whole draft room felt any other way.”
The Raiders want to avoid any suggestion that they lacked confidence in selecting Bowers as their first-round pick. Such a narrative is also likely unwelcome by any NFL team, suggesting that the account Arnold received may not have been meant literally, but rather perceived as such.
The true impact of Arnold and Bowers on their respective teams will only be revealed with time, possibly proving both to be valuable assets.