‘I slept with my hat on’: Terrion Arnold is clearly very excited to be drafted by Detroit Lions

DETROIT – Terrion Arnold woke up this morning and said he’s so excited to be a member of the Detroit Lions that he slept with his draft hat on.

“I was so happy last night, I slept with my hat on, man,” Arnold said on social media. “One Pride. Went to sleep last night a Lion, woke up a Lion. One Pride, man, let’s get to work.”

The Lions traded up from No. 29 to No. 24 to select Arnold in front of 275,000 excited fans who gathered to watch the first round at Campus Martius.

“It just makes me want to go in there with that much more of a chip on my shoulder,” Arnold said. “Obviously, even being drafted is a blessing, but for them to trade up and get me, and just know it’s all about fit, I’m ready to get to work.”

Arnold wasn’t only considered one of the top five defensive prospects in the draft, he also directly fills a need at cornerback. He intercepted five passes and defended 12 more during his final season at Alabama.

When the pick was announced, Lions fans started chanting his name, so Arnold took the mic and sent the whole crowd into a frenzy.

“To hear them chanting my name, I knew this was the right place, so when they started saying ‘Arnold,’ I said, ‘Man, I’m home,’” Arnold said. “I didn’t think I was gonna grab the mic on the stage, but when they started chanting, it just kind of took me over, you know? In life, sometimes we have to play off-script, and it was one of those times I had to do that.”