Vikings NFC North Rival Detroit Lions Trade CB Jeff Okudah
Josh Frey
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As a whole, the NFC North has been one of the more active divisions in the NFL in terms of free agency signings, trades, and overall rumors. Even amongst the four teams in the division, the Detroit Lions have arguably had the strongest offseason in terms of free agent signings.
Detroit once again made headlines on Tuesday when they traded the former third overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, CB Jeff Okudah, to the Atlanta Falcons. In return, they got a fifth-round pick in the upcoming 2023 Draft.
Throughout the first three years of his career, Okudah has been a bit of a polarizing prospect. He struggled to adjust to the NFL level after his collegiate days at Ohio State. Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Okudah appeared in just 10 total games combined.
In 2020, a groin injury that required offseason surgery landed him on IR, and 2021 saw him suffer a ruptured Achilles in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers that cost him the rest of his season.
2022 got off to a terrific start for Okudah, though, and all the rehab he had done to recover from his injuries clearly paid off. He started 15 games during the season, recording 73 tackles, 2 TFLs, 7 passes defended, an interception, and a forced fumble.
However, Okudah found himself benched in December when Detroit played against the Carolina Panthers, and he didn’t play much during the final two weeks of the season.
The young CB now gets to go to a new home in Atlanta, joining a cornerback room with Dee Alford, Javelin Guidry, Darren Hall, Casey Hayward, Mike Hughes, Jamal Peters, John Reed, and A.J. Terrell.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions CB room looks rather shallow behind Emmanuel Moseley and Cam Sutton. If they weren’t already targeting a corner with the No. 6 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it seems almost certain that they are now.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.