A Main Reason to Have Hope in Vikings’ New Signing for the Secondary
So far, Jeff Okudah has failed to live up to being the No. 3 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Nevertheless, the Vikings have reason to hope that Okudah can begin to turn his career around. Yes, there’s the talent that he possesses alongside the brilliance that Brian Flores has demonstrated as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. But then consider another reason: former Vikings corner Mike Hughes and the progress he has made in his career.
The Vikings’ New CB: Jeff Okudah & The Reason for Hope
Back in 2018, the Vikings were coming off a magical season where Mike Zimmer’s elite defense — alongside no shortage of Case Keenum magic — pushed the team to the NFC Championship Game.
Kirk Cousins got added in free agency, deemed by many as the franchise quarterback capable of partnering with Zim’s defense to finally bring a Lombardi to Minnesota. Joining Cousins in that 2018 season was Mr. Hughes, a 1st-Round selection. Quite possibly, the young corner could get worked into the mix slowly for Zimmer while helping on specials, too.
Mike Hughes’ story in Minnesota, though, is mostly one of failing to live up to expectations.
For starters, there were the injury struggles. The corner played just six games as a rookie and then only four in his third season. His sophomore season was his most active, but he still didn’t put in a full season, playing just fourteen games while snagging a trio of starts.
In May of 2021, Hughes got traded to Kansas City. The cost was a mere late-round pick swap; the Chiefs sent over a 2022 6th while gaining a 2022 7th. For whatever it’s worth, the pick that came back in that trade ended up getting used on Jalen Nailor.
Since then, Mike Hughes has been around the NFL. He worked for the Chiefs before then becoming a Lion. After a stop in the Motor City, Hughes went down to Georgia to become a Falcon (somewhat ironically, re-uniting with Cousins in the process).
The critical detail to keep in mind is that Hughes found a home with his fourth NFL team. During the most recent free agency, Hughes got brought back to Atlanta, agreeing to a three-year contract that’s coming in at $18,000,000. Not bad for someone who was mostly written off as a draft bust and who was quickly becoming an NFL journeyman.
One wonders, then, about Jeff Okudah. Like Hughes, Okudah is now on his fourth NFL team; there has even been some overlap in teams since both have put in work with the Lions and Falcons (which is to say nothing of the Vikings connection). Can Okudah get healthy and push his game to a new level? Can he play so well that he eventually demands an extension to stick around with the Vikings? That outcome would represent a major success.
Truth be told, it’s impossible to say. No one can tell the future; all we have are educated guesses and hopeful predictions. The good news is simply that it’s not unprecedented for a 1st-Round corner to struggle early before settling into becoming a strong starter. Look no further than a former Vikings corner for an example.
Jeff Okudah is still only 26.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.