Arnold, Rakestraw 'Wired The Right Way' to Succeed at CB

Rookie dup progressing nicely through training camp.

Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold. / Camren Clouthier, @Lions On SI

The Detroit Lions left their joint practices and preseason opener with the Giants pleased with the rookie duo of Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw.   

Arnold played the first three series of Detroit’s exhibition tilt with the Giants, while Rakestraw got some additional reps in, including in the second half. Rakestraw lined up at both outside corner and nickel in his preseason debut.  

“Yeah, it was encouraging from all of those guys,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said at Sunday’s training camp practice. “Certainly, you already mentioned TA (Terrion Arnold), I thought he had a good week at practice. Got some really, really good reps out there, outside and, you know, he’s a competitive guy, which we already know.

"He just continues to grow every day, and then from what he got in the game, he really wasn’t targeted, he did a good job. I thought Ennis really showed up, I did. He got a lot of reps, defensively and special teams, and I thought he competed in all levels. He’s just another one of these young guys that continues to get better. The game’s not too big for him, so we like where he’s trending right now.” 

It was a lighter night for Arnold than Rakestraw Thursday, as the first-round pick played just 13 snaps over three series. Rakestraw, meanwhile, played into the second half and split time between the boundary and the slot-corner positions.

The fourth-year Detroit head man was also complimentary of Amik Robertson’s and Khalil Dorsey’s performances against the Giants Thursday. Robertson was Detroit's highest graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus, as he earned a 87.4 overall defensive grade and an 88.2 pass-coverage grade.

“Amik went in there and did a nice job for us. Played the nickel, and it was good to see. So yeah, all those guys you listed are really stepping up. And look, Dorsey did a good job, too, so we like where we’re at at the corner position right now,” Campbell expressed. 

Arnold and Rakestraw have been two of the Lions’ best performers all throughout training camp so far. And, they’ve started to garner rave reviews from fans and pundits alike that have observed the two of them in Allen Park.

The young cornerback tandem has impressed Campbell with both its ability and mental fortitude. 

“They both have ability, but they're also wired the right way,” Campbell noted. “And I think that's the hard thing. We talk about it with that position. It's one thing to be able to cover or be able to run play man-to-man, but then, you’ve got to understand you're going to get beat on some stuff. And then how does that affect your psyche? What about when? OK, we're going to play man-to-man, and now we're getting all the rubs, right? That's the next thing. Everybody thinks you just line up in these spread sets, and we're going to play man-to-man, get right in his face. Well, that's great. Tell them to start getting the bunches and the stacks and they make you pass them off, and you got somebody running at you, and you stop, or, ‘Oh, wait, I thought that was yours.’ 

“And, where you do feel pretty good about both of these guys is they have the right attitude. I mean, they don't lose confidence. They're dying to go man-to-man. They're all about winning their one-on-ones. And they're both pretty smart guys, so I think that's what makes them intriguing to see and to watch.”