ALLEN PARK, Mich. — With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, let's put a bow on things with some thoughts regarding what the Detroit Lions were able to accomplish:

The Lions went into the week with surprisingly few roster holes. That's something we understood prior to the three-day event, but much like the success of the 2023 season, it meant the vibes and expectations attached to this year's draft were different — in a good way. Let's call it a continuation of our collective adjustment to watching a well-run franchise operate.

To be clear, it's not that the Lions were devoid of needs, but the ones of greatest significance were beyond the upcoming season. The biggest, written in red letters at the top of the list, was cornerback.

For all the great things general manager Brad Holmes has accomplished during this three-year tenure, a lingering area of weakness has been the team's pass defense. The Lions finished last or next to last each of the the past three seasons in yards per pass attempt allowed, and while plenty goes into that equation, including inconsistencies with the pass rush and schematic decisions, it's been clear the personnel at cornerback hasn't been good enough.

Holmes made a valiant attempt to fix it last offseason with the signings of Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, as well as the selection of Brian Branch in the draft, but only the rookie worked out, in large part due to injuries.

The GM doubled his efforts this year, trading for Carlton Davis III, signing Amik Robertson and re-signing Moseley, who played just two snaps in 2023 before suffering a torn ACL. On paper, it admittedly looks better, but Davis and Moseley are only under contract for next season, while Robertson's two-year deal screams "prove it" with its heavily backloaded structure. Individually and collectively, nothing guarantees any of the three will be with the team in 2025.

So if Holmes didn't want to be chasing a third revamp in 2025, he had to find a corner or two with starting potential in this draft. We now know he checked that box emphatically, using the team's first three selections to add Alabama's Terrion Arnold and Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw.

The Arnold pick was a coup, even if it cost the Lions a third-rounder to trade up five spots to get him. The fit was obvious, but he almost certainty wasn't going to make it to 29. Holmes needed him to drop within a range where the cost to move up would be palatable and a willing trade partner would emerge. Remember, it takes two to tango to make these deals.

The day after the selection, I informally polled some of my fellow scribes, asking them when they thought Arnold would make his first start for the Lions. The overwhelming answer was Week 1 of the regular season. I could see that, for sure, because playing time under the current coaching staff is a true meritocracy lacking sacred cows. That said, I'm breaking from my colleagues and don't anticipate Arnold to crack the starting lineup until the back half of his rookie year.

That's not a condemnation of the selection, or casting doubt on his talent, but rather a recognition cornerback is one of the more difficult positional transitions for a college prospect, even one who played in the SEC. I think we can comfortably draw parallels between Arnold and Darius Slay, Detroit's last elite corner.

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