Why NFL scouts see Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold emerging as a first-round NFL draft possibility

Although Alabama was already leading by seven by that point, the play that served as the true beginning of the end for LSU during its loss to the Crimson Tide on Saturday came on the first play of the fourth quarter.

It came courtesy of Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, who cashed in on a Jayden Daniels tipped pass with an interception that gave Alabama’s offense the ball at the Tigers’ 25-yard line. The Tide offense — set up by that Arnold interception — then scored a touchdown three plays later to put Alabama up by 14 and in firm control during its eventual 42-28 victory.

For Arnold, that interception was one of the latest standout moments during what’s proven to be a breakout junior season for the Class of 2021 top-35 overall recruit. Although Kool-Aid McKinstry is the Crimson Tide cornerback that you’ll see in the first round of all the early NFL mock drafts, Arnold has quietly emerged as not only a legitimate prospect as well but also as a possibility to maybe even end up going earlier in the draft than even McKinstry based on his play through Alabama’s first nine games.

In fact, multiple NFL scouts have told On3 that they now view Arnold as maybe the top cornerback prospect in the SEC.

“He’s consistently performed well,” an NFL scouting source told On3. “He’s played against some good players. Size, length, physicality, I think those would probably be the biggest things that stand out right now. Ball skills and football instincts are really good too. He’s just a good football player.”

Scouts felt like Arnold was up-and-down in his first season as a starter for the Tide last year. That’s not the case this year. 

The 6-foot, 196-pound Arnold ranks fifth on Alabama with 45 tackles, leads the Tide with eight pass break-ups and is tied for the team-lead with two interceptions. During the win over LSU, Arnold finished with five tackles, the interception and two pass-breakups.

“I would say he’s probably a 25-40 (overall pick) guy for me right now,” an NFL scouting source said. “He’s kind of my sleeper first-rounder for this year.”

As for the Tide’s other corner, McKinstry, he’s very much in position to be an early-round draft prospect as well but maybe not to the level that the current mock drafts would lead you to believe. That’s at least the opinion of some scouts.

While McKinstry has clearly been a high-level player for the Tide, there are at least some scouts that don’t think he runs well enough to be a first-round pick and that view him as a more of a post-first-round level prospect in terms of how he projects to the NFL level.

“I think Terrion could go earlier, especially if Kool-Aid doesn’t run well (in the 40-yard dash),” an NFL scouting source said. “Kool-Aid’s a good player and he’s a good athlete and he will play (at the NFL level). He’s just never really ascended to the level that people probably thought he would. A lot it has to do with just overall top-end speed and explosiveness. He’s a good athlete, but he’s not an elite athlete.”