When the Detroit Lions used the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to select CB Jeff Okudah out of Ohio State, many Lions fans were extremely excited. Some even said the rookie would be an immediate upgrade over Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason.
Following the pick, I predicted that Okudah would be a Pro Bowler by 2022, but I also stressed that fans should pump the brakes a bit as far as their expectations for Okudah in 2020 as cornerbacks often struggle out of the gates adjust to the speed in the NFL.
Now, according to Chris Burke of The Athletic, Okudah may not even start for the Lions in their Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears as Amani Oruwariye could get the nod at starting CB opposite Desmond Trufant.
The media won’t get another extended look at the Lions until Week 1 — just brief glances at the start of each practice from here on out. So, it’ll be tough to tell what sort of progress players are making between now and then. But if the Lions were facing Chicago this weekend, there’d be a decent chance that Amani Oruwariye, not Jeff Okudah, would be starting opposite Desmond Trufant at cornerback.
That assessment might cause a little angst among Lions fans, but there’s a lot coming at Okudah right now. As Matt Patricia said Saturday, for the rookie out of Ohio State “the game has got to slow down a little bit” before his performance fully aligns with expectations.
Over the past two practices, it all seemed to be coming at him a little hot. Friday, with the Lions indoors and in shells (not full pads), Chris Lacy burned Okudah with a double move that would’ve resulted in a 70-yard TD had Matthew Stafford not thrown to the opposite side of the field. Then at the close of practice, Okudah was in position against Marvin Hall for an interception, but turned a split-second late and had the ball sail through his hands (and into Hall’s) for a touchdown.
During Saturday’s scrimmage, running back Jonathan Williams bounced a run wide and turned past Okudah for a big gain — Okudah flew down to the edge looking to make a play and lost contain.
There’s still a lot more good than bad, and Okudah’s ability to absorb information is obvious. He just has a lot of ground to cover before Week 1.
Nation, do you think Jeff Okudah will start in Week 1?