The Detroit Lions traded star cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, but they may have selected the perfect replacement with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. With the No. 3 overall pick, the Lions drafted former Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah. While this class was headlined by players like Joe Burrow and Chase Young, it's possible Okudah could end up being the best player in the draft.
Lions defensive coordinator Cory Undlin is already bullish Okudah's potential, and says that he is ready for some football. Undlin also said that Okudah has the drive and the talent to become a special player in this league
"He's driven like few men I've been around in this profession," Undlin said Wednesday, via the Detroit News. "I know that and I can tell that, albeit on a Zoom call. The guy, he's nonstop, to the point where it's like, 'Jeff, can we not talk about football for like five minutes? Do you do anything else? Like, what are we doing?' That's how he's wired."
In his junior season at Ohio State, Okudah proved he was one of the best cornerbacks in the country. In 13 games, he recorded 34 total tackles, nine passes defensed and three interceptions while picking up unanimous All-American honors. He exudes confidence, has ideal size at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds and should make an immediate impact on this Lions defense. Detroit ranked dead last in the league when it came to pass defense in 2019, as the Lions gave up an average of 284.4 yards through the air per game. They clearly are trying to address the problem, and used their top pick in the draft to do so.
Okudah is expected to be a starter for the Lions right away, but Undlin doesn't want to jump to conclusions. Still, Okudah has already impressed this coaching staff despite the fact that the team has not practiced yet.
"We'll make that decision down the road," Undlin said. "But after the last three months, after we had the opportunity to draft him, it's been nothing but impressive and I'm super excited for him and his future. There's no depth chart set yet, we haven't practiced yet, so we'll see what that looks like when we get back. But as far as right now, it's been very good."
