If you think that life as an NFL cornerback is easy, I present the cases of two top 10 picks from the 2020 draft who have been traded from their original teams for very little in return.
Last September, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson with the ninth pick in that draft, traded Henderson to the Carolina Panthers for tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round draft pick.
And on Tuesday, the Detroit Lions traded 2020 third-overall pick Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 fifth-round pick.
Detroit unloads the remaining $5,182,072 in guaranteed money that Okudah is owed this season.
Atlanta adds a player who was the No. 3 overall pick three years ago.
Okudah gets a fresh start on a newly stacked #Falcons defense, with free agency looming next March. https://t.co/IH3kSxXv1N
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 11, 2023
This is not what you expect when you’re taken that highly in the draft, and you’re expected to be the next great player at the position. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Okudah was supposed to take the crown as the new prototype of the big, aggressive pass defender who could put every receiver on lock.
Obviously, it didn’t work that way. Injuries have been a big part of the problem — Okudah played in just nine games with six starts in his rookie season, and he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Lions’ 2021 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, and that ended his second season right there.
So, coming into his third NFL season, Okudah was basically starting from scratch, which general manager Brad Holmes said in reflection during his 2022 season-ending press conference.
“Yeah, Jeff – first of all, I told you guys after camp that I give him so much credit because we challenged him, and he answered the challenge, but I also told you guys, look, it’s basically his rookie season. And he’s kind of getting this extensive action for the time, and he showed some good things, but when I say basically like a rookie season, he’s going to have lumps. And he showed some good, he had some times that were not so good, but he’s a really young player. I think he’s still developing, and we’ll just kind of – I know like fifth-year option and all that stuff like you said is coming up. We’ll address that at the appropriate time, but I’m proud of what Jeff did, and I know he’ll hold himself accountable for his play of the good things, and the things that he needs to work on.”
Now that he’ll be working on those things in Atlanta, and the Lions were clearly eager to clear the books, what can the Falcons expect from Jeff Okudah? Are there enough things that scream, “Third overall pick” on his tape to make this a steal for a Falcons defense in need of help just about everywhere?
Last season, per Pro Football Focus, Okudah allowed 40 catches on 65 targets for 621 yards, 218 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 97.0. How will Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and secondary coach Steve Jackson make the most of Okudah’s potential?
Let’s go to the tape.