Detroit Lions DC Cory Undlin has been impressed with both second-year corner Amani Oruwariye and rookie Jeff Okudah, but with two weeks to go before the season opener, he isn’t ready to name a starter opposite Desmond Trufant just yet.
Third overall pick Okudah has been expected to be the starter from the moment he was drafted but with no spring camp, a limited training camp, and no preseason, it’s a tough ask for him to be ready to compete Day 1.
“He is on a steady incline, which is all we can ask,” Undlin said of Okudah at Sunday’s press conference. “That’s all we can ask from any of our players – vets, rookies, whatever. So, I like the direction that he’s headed in. We’re not there yet. I don’t think any of us are there yet. If you ask any players, we’ve still got two weeks left here to clean it all up and get ready for that first game. But I’m not disappointed on the work he’s been doing and where he’s going.”
Okudah has gotten a lot of time with the starters in camp — especially when Trufant sat out three practices at the end of week 1 — but Oruwariye has been with the starters every practice and appears to have taken a Step forward in his development.
“He’s more than ready (to start),” Undlin said of Oruwariye. “We’re not to that point, we haven’t made that decision yet. Very, very impressed with where he is at. The things that he has done this far, he looks like a seasoned veteran, right now, in everything that he’s doing. I’m really pleased with where he is at. I’m not making any assumptions on what we’re going to do in two weeks, but I’m very happy with him and he’s played very well.”
Regardless of who starts between Okudah and Oruwariye, there is bound to be some bumps and bruises along the way. But the Lions have two young corners who both appear on the cusp of starting — and that’s a really good spot to be in.