The Lions bucked conventional wisdom last year when they drafted Jeff Okudah third overall. No cornerback had been drafted that high this century.
Now the GM and head coach who picked him are gone.
Okudah might fulfill his potential yet, but his rookie season was brutal. He was torched when he wasn't injured, allowing 41 completions on 53 attempts and a passer rating of 118.0. Afterward, he pointed to 'dysfunction' within the organization.
None of the six cornerbacks taken in the first round fared all that well. But Okudah's struggles were evident from the jump, and magnified by his draft position. If the Lions had a do-over, safe to say they'd go a different route.
And safe to say Okudah wouldn't be the first corner off the board.
Here's ESPN's 2020 re-draft to confirm.
The top pick remains the same, with the Bengals taking Joe Burrow. But we get a flip at No. 2, with Washington capitalizing on Justin Herbert's strong rookie season to find its franchise QB. That allows the Lions to take Pro Bowl DE Chase Young No. 3.
No surprises there.
As for Okudah? He's no longer a top-10 pick. Or a top-20 pick. The first corner off the board is Trevon Diggs, originally a second-rounder, who goes No. 17 to Dallas. The next is Jaylon Johnson, another second-rounder, who goes No. 20 to Jacksonville. The third is CJ Henderson, originally ninth overall, who goes No. 21 to Philadelphia.
And then, at No. 24 overall, the Saints take Okudah:
"I considered some guys who had better rookie years," writes ESPN's Mike Triplett. But Okudah has fallen far enough after battling inconsistency, injury and what he called 'dysfunction' in Detroit. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was the No. 3 pick for a reason."
Hopefully for the Lions, 2021 is the year Okudah starts to prove it.