Raiders’ Antonio Pierce denies draft story told by Terrion Arnold: ‘No coin flip’ to choose Brock Bowers at 13

Many expected Terrion Arnold to go earlier than he did in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the Detroit Lions ultimately stopping the Alabama cornerback’s first-round slide by selecting him No. 24 overall. According to Arnold, the Las Vegas Raiders nearly swiped him much earlier, only to instead take tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13 overall because of … a coin toss.

“(The Lions) knew that the Raiders were a possibility,” Arnold told “The Next Round” podcast this week. “And actually the Raiders coach, they called me after the draft, and they were like, ‘We actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers. It landed on him.’ I was like, ‘Oh wow.'”  

However, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said neither a coin flip nor phone call occurred. 

“No call, and no coin flip,” Pierce told ESPN’s Ryan Clark. “As soon as the last two QBs went off the board. We said Bowers all the way.” Pierce also said the Bowers pick was decided before the Raiders were on the clock. 

Pierce’s account of what happened is in stark contract to what Arnold said transpired before the Raiders ultimately drafted Bowers. 

Is Arnold simply echoing a figure of speech? Or did the Raiders use a literal coin flip on draft night to make their choice?

At any rate, Bowers is in Las Vegas, Arnold is in Detroit and both rookies figure to have sizable roles for their respective teams in 2024. Arnold celebrated his Lions destination on draft night; while he was born and raised in Florida, he told the Motor City crowd after being drafted that Detroit had brought him “home” and “right where I need to be.”