The Detroit Lions selected cornerback Terrion Arnold with the 24th choice in the 2024 NFL draft. He believes the only reason he isn’t a Las Vegas Raider right now is due of a coin flip on the first night of the draft.
“(The Lions) knew that the Raiders, there was a possibility that they took me,” Arnold said on “The Next Round” podcast. “And, actually, the Raiders coach, they called me after the draft, they were like, ‘We actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers. It landed on him.'”
The Raiders eventually drafted Bowers, who general manager Tom Telesco described as “a consensus guy.”
Assistant general manager Champ Kelly also dismissed Arnold’s claim.
“Yeah, I can’t confirm that at all,” Kelly told Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “Terrion is a skilled player. I’m excited to follow his career and see him perform. But we drafted Brock and are pleased to have him here. And I don’t think anyone else in our draft room felt any differently.”
Some were surprised by Las Vegas’ selection of Bowers, given that the franchise had just spent its second-round pick on Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer a year before. However, Bowers was undoubtedly the greatest player on the Raiders’ roster, and Telesco stated, “There’s no rule in the NFL that says you can only play one.”
“(His) position is tight end, but we saw him as a playmaker,” Kelly stated. “He is going to be a fun piece to have.”
The Georgia product has 175 catches for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns over the last three years.
It appears odd that a team would flip a coin to make a decision while under pressure after months of planning, and even if it did, it appears much less likely that it would confess it.
