Jeff Okudah should be ready to thrive right away
One of the highlights of new defensive coordinator Cory Undlin’s Zoom session was his astonishment at his rookie CB’s dedication to the craft. Undlin said he’s never seen anyone devour film study like Okudah, the team’s first-round pick.
He even joked that Okudah might need to back off the intensity of preparation a bit,
“Jeff is driven like few men I’ve been around in this profession and I know that and I can tell that albeit a Zoom call. The guy is nonstop. To the point where it’s like, ‘Jeff, can we talk about something, like can we not talk about football for like five minutes? Can we talk about something else? Do you do anything else?’ That’s how he’s wired.”
That’s similar to what we heard from Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors back at the Senior Bowl, before anyone knew Okudah was coming to Detroit. Hope noted Okudah blossomed in 2019 because he outworked everyone and understood how to process film study into on-field actions.
One of the consistent lines on Okudah is that he’s tirelessly devoted to self-improvement. It’s going to be exciting to see all studious energy finally get on the field. He’ll be more ready than most rookie CBs even without a normal offseason.