Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers had needs in their secondary.
As the first day of the draft started winding down, the Lions pounced ahead of the Packers, trading up from 29 to 24 to select Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. The Lions also tossed a third-round pick into the equation to get the Cowboys to agree to the trade.
Meanwhile, the Packers were sitting behind the Cowboys, holding the 25th overall pick, and decidied to take an offensive tackle, Jordan Morgan instead. While Morgan fills a key need after David Bakhtiari’s departure, there’s been some indications that Green Bay had Arnold on their radar at No. 25 instead.
“It’s possible the Lions jumped an NFC North rival for a top corner. As Detroit moved from No. 29 to 24 to snag corner Terrion Arnold, the Packers at No. 25 were among the teams that Arnold’s camp had firmly on the radar entering the 20s. The belief is Green Bay had Arnold rated highly.
Green Bay’s star corner, Jaire Alexander, was a 2018 first-round selection at No. 18, two picks ahead of Detroit. The Lions got Frank Ragnow with that pick, so things worked out well for both teams. But at least Detroit prevented Green Bay from potentially getting another star corner.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Detroit Lions’ Terrion Arnold selection
The Packers did take a defensive back, but they waited until the 58th pick to select Javon Bullard, a safety out of Georgia. Green Bay selected four defensive backs during the three-day draft process, but they didn’t end up with Arnold.
Related: Detroit Lions news: Terrion Arnold’s quote proves he was born to play for Dan Campbell